The Wraith Betrayed
by Lord Jerry
Summary: After being mysteriously killed, a Wraith from our world finds himself in an alternate China populated by bipedal animals. With a fractured memory that leaves him with no real identity, he allies with the Furious Five as a way of finding purpose. Not only will he be faced with the conflicts of this new world, but he will find himself facing his own past.
1. From the Void

Rage.

That was all I felt as my body threatened to rip itself apart.

How did this happen? My memory was foggy, making even the simplest of memories hard to grasp. I was in pain. I was struggling. And I didn't even know why. Attempting to focus, I tried to see if I could recover my memories. If I could just remember, then perhaps I could save myself.

In my furious drifting through an indescribable void, the first memory to familiarize itself was what I was: A government sanctioned Wraith.

I remembered that the kind of Wraith I am is from the Alsvartr Sunna Clan, or Black Sun Clan, stationed in the United States. My task was assassination, and apparently, I was adept at it.

What I learned next was the most unnerving thing, even more so than my skill in what was essentially murder.

I was supposed to be dead. I didn't know how I died, or what I was doing before I was killed, but I knew I was dead.

If I couldn't remember how I was killed, there were other things that I could at least attempt to remember. I needed to know who I was. Did I have a family? Where did I come from? What year was I from?

What was my name?

Come on, dammit! What's my name...?

But it never appeared. As of that moment, I was nameless. I remembered a few other things, like certain things about the world, but nothing else.

Those were the only memories I could recover. Everything else remained foggy. So close, but yet I couldn't make them out. Not what year it was. Not who my family or friends were. Not even my own name. Only my Clan and task, along with a select few other things. But why was I so angry? My rage was almost insatiable. Was it because I was killed? No, this was something more. It had to be.

But as I looked around, I discovered that was not as important as my current situation. Where was I? Some kind of void, obviously, but what was it exactly? Purgatory? It couldn't be Hell, as I didn't feel punished, and it wasn't Heaven, considering my profession.

Moving felt as though I was attempting to move through some kind of thick liquid, like syrup, and the silence was deafening. I couldn't even hear the sound of my own blood rushing, or my heartbeat. Even with the abilities I had, I was still human. That meant I should at least have a beating heart. But as I forced my arm over to my chest, I felt nothing. Just...

Silence.

Perhaps this _was_ Hell. The silence was terrible. I couldn't stand it.

I couldn't... fucking... _stand it_!

Looking over, I saw my weapons and bag floating nearby. Grabbing them, I searched through my supplies to see if I had everything.

Mark 17 Lancer Energy Rifle, two Dual-Heated-Edged Combat Blades, portable solar energy collector, my trusty fixed-blade buck knife, some kind of medical box, and my holo-phone. The most important thing was easily the energy collector, but it helped to have weapons. The phone was nice too.

But they wouldn't be worth shit in this void. Looking at my gun, I thought long and hard for what I estimated to be ten minutes about just ending myself to escape the endless void. But would it even work? I was already dead...

Only one way to find out.

Before I could turn the gun on myself, a flash of light cut through the dark void. I covered my eyes, blinded by the light. My body continued to fight itself, feeling as though it was shredding itself apart. Wisps of black smoke rolled off of my arms and hands, my gloves feeling hot to the touch. My hands were shaking hard, vibrating and sometimes outright disappearing briefly. If I could have screamed, I would have.

Feeling a tugging sensation, I considered resisting, but figured it was likely better than where I was now. Either that... or I was actually going to Hell now.

' _Best not to delay the inevitable._ ' I thought.

Letting go of any resistance, I let myself go limp as my body was rapidly pulled toward the source of the light. As I approached, my body felt like fire, and my rage grew to the point that I was lashing out at nothing, even when every movement was torture. I was blinded entirely by the light, and a loud buzzing filled my ears, growing to deafening levels.

Then, there was nothing.

* * *

When I awoke, I felt warm, though my hooded cloak likely contributed to that, and my body was no longer forcing itself apart. My rage had also practically vanished. But most of all, the silence was gone. I could hear the sounds of rushing water, as well as... birds? Perhaps it was because of my broken memory, but I don't remember the last time I had heard a bird. I mean, it would be strange to hear one when the remaining living birds were in captivity for their own safety. Same with most other animals that didn't adapt to urban life.

That's what happens when the world turns into a mostly urban, cybernetic mess.

Oh well. It didn't affect me, so why should I care? At the moment, survival was most important. But that brought up another important question.

How was I alive? I was _certain_ that I was dead. I thought I had been killed. Yet, here I was, next to a river in the middle of a clearing in some forest. More than anything, my surprise came from the fact that I was in a forest. That meant I was in either some national park or the Amazon rainforest, and this sure as hell wasn't the Amazon. So it must have been a park.

Realizing I was still lying in the grass like a moron, I sat up and took a look at my surroundings.

Trees, a river (or was it a creek?), and more trees. Standing up, I took off my mask to get a breath of fresh air. However, when I took the deep breath, I felt something quite odd. Confused by the feeling in my chest, I opened up my cloak, only to drop my mask in surprise. In the center of my chest was a hole, small wisps of smoke pouring out of it slowly. I didn't feel as though it was doing any harm anymore, but it was still a cause for concern. Just as strange was that black wisps of smoke rolled off of every part of my body.

But I was already dead, right? Still, that breath of fresh air kinda went to waste. Oddly enough, I no longer felt the need to breathe in the first place. But what was strangest was that I was actually here. Usually, Wraiths just... _dissipate_ when they are killed as to not leave a trace.

Well, at least I kinda knew how I "died" because of the hole in my chest. Emphasis on "kinda".

Picking up my mask, I observed it. I knew that I had made it myself, as that's what all Wraiths did. They would supply themselves, though clans would sometimes help out their members. My clan was the most famous clan because of how well they operated and treated their members, as well as how high their estimated kill count was. Technically, it was illegal, but the government "couldn't find evidence" of the assassinations. That's all I remembered, though I'm certain most knew it was total bullshit.

How people even found out Wraiths existed was also something I couldn't remember.

Sighing, I brushed off the dirt from my mask, admiring my craftsmanship. It was made to look like a skull, painted black to match the rest of my outfit, though you could barely see that the eyes were actually a very dark red when light would shine on them. It also could light up a number of different colors if I gave the mental command, though I only did that to be intimidating.

Not that I wasn't already.

Putting the mask back on, I let the HUD readjust while I put my bag back on. Lifting my rifle, I put the strap around my shoulder and put my swords on my waist. Seeing no signs of people, I began my journey down the river/creek/who cares, as water led to civilization. At least it used to. Oh well. It was a better lead than nothing.

I decided to see if my abilities still worked as a way to move faster. Focusing on a particular area about 20 meters away, my body dematerialized and reformed at the spot, drifting through something similar to that void in a split second. Most just called it teleporting, but the Wraith clans called it "Rifting".

Really, they were kinda strange. In fact, the whole thing was strange. I wasn't even sure why they were called "clans". Did it even fit the definition for "clan"?

To be honest, it didn't matter, and never would. After all, I had more important things to do.

I traversed the forest, and would Rift every once in a while to speed up the process. I could have Rifted the whole way, but it was important to observe my surroundings, which was impossible to do when I was constantly teleporting. However, people could observe _me_ just fine if they manage to catch a glimpse of me. As a Wraith Rifts, they don't just teleport. They do so with this human-sized cloud of black smoke. While it only lasted for a moment, it was still there, making our jobs a bit harder.

Still, it was a great ability to have. From the memories I retained, I could tell that I had done quite a good job with Rifting. Especially when my targets aren't expecting it.

Good times...

After a while, I checked the time on my holo-phone, seeing that it was only 5:40 in the morning. Good. Plenty of daylight left.

Or at least I hoped.

As I walked, I spotted something else peculiar. That thing was bamboo. Now, seeing plant life at all was a bit rare for me, but bamboo was definitely rare. It wasn't common in the United States, even before mass urbanization.

So why was it here? I mean, bamboo _could_ grow in the U.S., but this looked too uneven to have been planted. That being said, it was likely natural. Shrugging, I carried on. Before long, I spotted what appeared to be a trail. Where there were trails, there were people.

Or herd animals.

But that was besides the point, especially since it was too clean-cut to be made by animals. Somebody had made the trail, and I was going to find that somebody. Or at least _a_ somebody. Continuing onward, I just pondered on my interesting situation. After dying, I came back to life and ended up in some kind of park. I was also fully armed and carrying a bag of gear that would likely cause extreme suspicion. The hefty bag also made me wish that quantum-storage was finally perfected.

By my predictions, it would be in full use by the military in a few decades.

Once again, I observed my surroundings. The trail had not led me anywhere yet, but it was looking more and more used as I traveled. This was a good sign that I was headed toward a populated area. However, something very strange caught my eye on the side of the trail.

A sign. But not just any sign.

A sign in _Chinese_. With a small rush of memory, I knew that I could speak some of almost every language, as it helped when in different countries, but it wasn't enough to read the whole sign.

Thinking hard, I attempted to read the sign.

' _The... something of Peace'_

Well, at least I got most of it. But why was it in Chinese? I was nowhere near China, or anything like Chinatown.

So why?

The longer I was here, the more bewildered I was. This was truly strange, but I needed to continue on my way. Deciding to run down the path, I increased my speed to an unnatural amount, surpassing what was likely eighty-eight, possibly even ninety kilometers per hour. If Wraiths were anything, we were _fast_. And efficient. It made us unparalleled in our areas of expertise. That's kinda what happens when you tamper with our bodies with some kinda hocus-pocus bullshit with the sole purpose of creating an improved human being.

Only problem with it was how dangerous it was. I couldn't remember what was so dangerous, but I knew it was something pretty severe, making the government try to keep the Wraith project a secret, though they apparently failed somehow.

As I ran down the trail, I thought I could see something in the distance. It looked like some kind of village surrounded by mountains, the architecture...

Also being Chinese?

Was I in fucking _China_? It was impossible! Not only because China had been industrialized to the point of having zero non-human life, but because there was also no logical way for me to have gotten there! At most, I could Rift about fifty meters, and it took a bit of effort to do. I would have drowned in my attempt to get across the ocean.

Architecture like that also didn't exist in American national parks, so what was it? I decided that I was going to just accept it as is, not wanting to hurt myself by thinking too hard about it. Approaching the village, I considered my options. I could try to blend in, or I could sneak around in the shadows...

Sneaking it was. I was terrible at pretending, and my guns didn't really help. To get a better view of the village, I used another ability, called "Hieing". Essentially, it just turned my body into a black vaguely-human-shaped smoke cloud that could fly around for a short period of time. It was particularly helpful for aerial views and getting through vents.

I went to Hie, feeling my body change and vibrate before I shot into the air, observing the village from above. I couldn't see much from the distance I was at, but I thought I saw movement near what looked like a farm. Which was strange, as farming was completely industrialized. Heading back down, I Rifted across the river, running the rest of the way to the village.

I was going to get to the bottom of this.

Hearing the sounds of people, I became quite hopeful. In fact, it sounded like... English? How curious...

So far, I had yet to see any people, though I suspected that was due to being so early in the morning. I didn't bother looking at the farmer, as there was no point. What good would they do me? Besides, I was trying to stay hidden. Placing myself up against a wall, I listened for anyone nearby before taking a quick look around. With the coast clear, I moved to the next wall, staying in the shadows as best I could.

Now that I was here, I could finally figure this out-

Wait... what the _fuck_?

I couldn't believe my eyes. Walking carelessly through the village were some kind of... bipedal rabbits. Two of them to be exact. It was hard for me to believe that this was real.

I blinked. Then, I shook my head before blinking again.

How could this be? I knew there were _rumors_ of creating human/animal hybrids, but I didn't think it had _actually_ happened. I suppose it was only a matter of time. If Wraiths were created, then the next crime against humanity wasn't far behind.

I let out a sigh, watching a small puff of black smoke escape from my mouth. Rather than being concerned, I just watched the bunny people walk down the road, talking about simple things. Taking another look around after noticing their clothing, I realized the severe lack of modern, or even _vintage_ technology. They were very clearly incredibly far behind.

"My son has been gaining quite the interest in those Kung Fu masters from the legends recently. I worry that he'll hurt himself trying to imitate them!" one of the female rabbits half-joked.

The other rabbit laughed in a feminine voice, patting the other on the shoulder.

"You worry too much! How often does something bad ever happen to either of us?"

The first rabbit chuckled, turning to the other with a smile.

"I guess you're right. I just hope my husband can convince the boy to calm down."

The pair was coming close to where I was, so I prepared to Rift away when I felt my pseudo-sixth sense tingle. Looking around, I saw some kind of feline hiding in the shadows with a knife. The feline jumped out of the shadows at the rabbit females when they came near, brandishing his blade at the two.

"Hand over everything now. And keep it quiet!" he demanded.

The pair of bunnies were petrified, one turning to the other and speaking quietly.

"You just _had_ to open your mouth."

The feline grew angry, bringing the knife to the rabbit's neck, ready to use the blade.

"I said _quiet_!"

Seeing the fear in the pair's eyes, I debated my next course of action. I could keep hidden, or I could do a good deed, possibly saving the lives of the two innocent women.

Stay hidden it was.

Focusing on another alley, I prepared to Rift away when the feline happened to turn his head in my direction, doing a confused double take. Frozen for a moment, they faltered in their confidence for a moment. Once again, I let out a smoky sigh.

Since my cover was already blown...

I Rifted behind the thief, grabbing him and Rifting to a different alley. Before he could recover from the shock, I pulled out one of my own blades, not bothering to activate the heated edges. Both edges were sharp enough as they were. With my other hand, I disarmed him by twisting his wrist rapidly, causing him to drop his knife and let out a yelp of pain that I quickly covered with my hand.

Curious, I looked over at the rabbits, who were looking around in confusion. Looking back at the thief, I saw the fear in his eyes. Wanting to show him just how intimidating I could be, I activated my masks lights, mentally choosing the color red. As soon as I turned on the lights, I decided to try blowing out smoke to add to the effect, and to my surprise, it actually worked, the black smoke billowing out of the sides of the mask and between the teeth.

The thief's eyes widened, and he struggled in my grip, his muffled shouts of fear filling the quiet air. As he did, I slowly began pushing the tip of my sword into his shoulder and spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

 **"Leave, and never return."**

I pulled the sword out of his shoulder, but didn't quite let him go. I was going to use another one of my abilities. One that I loved the most, and not many others could do.

I was going to Brand him.

Placing my gloved hand on his face, I though about what my symbol would be. I could do the symbol of my clan, or... something else.

I decided on something else.

Focusing, my hand began to tingle, and the thief was in too much shock to scream as I burned the image into the side of their face. Releasing their face, I admired my work. The symbol was simple, but it represented the current me quite well, I thought. It was an image of a skull with smoke coming out of its mouth, a set of small horns on its head.

With his free hand, the feline touched the side of his face in a panic, feeling the burn. Releasing him entirely, I stood up and pointed my sword at him.

 **"Run far away."**

In a panic, he nodded his head, taking off in a random direction, mumbling to himself incoherently. It was a good feeling. Not saving the pair of rabbits, but the feeling of knowing I had power over another person/animal/thing. Though, it was nice to have done a good deed.

However, I didn't stick around for some kind of compensation for my efforts. Taking one more look at the rabbit pair, who were sill searching, I Rifted away to an area more toward the center of the town. I was going to learn more about this strange place that seemed to be a polar opposite of the cybernetic borderline-dystopia of a world I had lived in, and the best way to do that was to observe the average day in the village, as well as take careful note of the culture and places of interest.

Climbing to the top of a tall building and staying low, I took a look at the valley, seeing just how large it was. I also noticed a very large staircase leading to what looked like it may have been a palace of some kind. Keeping that in mind as a location of interest, I observed the village below. Remembering my phone, I took it out of my bag and turned on the camera, taking pictures of buildings that looked important. I also noticed that people were finally leaving their homes, ready to go about their day.

It quickly became boring.

I suddenly realized that this was likely why I was an assassin rather than a ranger or something. I wasn't patient when it came to gathering intel. The only patience I had was when I was anticipating a kill. It was kinda fucked up, to be honest.

But that was not a concern of mine. My focus was now on that certain place of interest. Rifting across the rooftops, I stayed as hidden as possible until I reached the staircase, running up the steps. Nobody else seemed to be making the trek up or down the stairs, so I was safe to go on my way. The journey up was longer than expected, but I did eventually make it.

And it was a brilliant sight.

The palace, or whatever it was, was a work of art, reminiscent of old Chinese architecture for royalty, indicating that it was, in fact, a palace. It was so different from what I was used to, that being bland utilitarian buildings meant for efficiency only.

Rifting into a tree, I took in every detail I could with my camera. There were multiple features, such as some kind of garden full of statues, other buildings, and some other things. I wanted to investigate further, but I was a bit worried about getting caught. I knew I was made to be the ultimate master of stealth, but you could never be too careful.

For the moment, I decided to head up a hill I saw. Moving quickly and silently, it didn't take long to reach the top. What caught my attention the most was a lone tree with pink blossoms. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a peach tree. After a bit of consideration, I figured, "Fuck it," and grabbed a peach. As I went to remove my mask, however, I heard the sounds of someone coming up the hill.

Quickly, I Rifted away to hide behind a large rock not too far away. Stuffing the peach in my bag, I listened to the person's footsteps, hearing them stop by the tree. I heard I light thump, possibly meaning they sat down. After a while of waiting, I decided to take a look. When I poked my head up over the rock, I saw who was sitting at the tree.

Sitting at the base of the tree was a tiger in some kind of red clothing. They were sitting in the lotus position, seemingly in a meditative state. I observed their tranquility, and somewhat envied them. As they meditated, I considered the possibility of speaking to them. I needed information, and they were alone.

Letting out a sigh, I Rifted behind the tiger, and noticed that they had not noticed me. Looks like I've still got it. "It" being a mastery of stealth, of course.

 **"Do not be afraid. I am here with peace in mind."**

They turned around rapidly, getting into some kind of fighting stance, eyes widening upon seeing me.

"How did you get here? Who are you?" they asked in a feminine voice.

Really, I just had to tell her a half-truth.

 **"I do not know. I awoke merely minutes ago, and have no memory of who I am. I only know _what_ I am."**

"I do not believe you."

Of fucking course not.

 **"But it is the truth. I know not where I am, and I know not how I arrived here, other than my arrival was painful."**

She did not back down from her fighting stance, but did look curious.

"Well... what are you?"

I chuckled, black smoke spilling from my mask.

 **"I am a Wraith."**

"And you are very far from home."

Surprised, I turned around to see a... tortoise with a staff?

"Master Oogway!" the tiger exclaimed, bowing to the tortoise.

"Good to see you've made a new friend, young Tigress."

She was confused at first, but then glared at me.

"He is not my friend. He is an intruder."

Oogway shook his head, putting a hand on "Tigress's" shoulder.

"Oh, but he is. He comes in peace, so he is just a friend you don't quite know yet." he said with a laugh.

Okay then, you weird tortoise dude.

"Come, friend. We would love to have a guest at the Jade Palace. I'm sure Shifu will welcome you."

 **"Who?"**

Oogway chuckled, but Tigress growled, as if I had offended her.

"Oh, an old friend of mine. He is Tigress's Master, and has taught her well in the art of Kung Fu. He has only five students, but I hope we can change that."

I certainly hoped he wasn't insinuating that _I_ would join some stupid-ass Kung Fu school, or whatever. I had my own style of fighting that I liked to call, "Actually Fucking Works". Kung Fu was just a bunch of fancy bullshit that took too long to learn, in my opinion. And that "code of honor" shit? Yeah, not my kind of thing. I was an assassin, not some kind of samurai.

We approached some kind of building, and the doors swung open to reveal a... red panda, I think. Was this Shifu? Hard to imagine this little animal was a Kung Fu master-

"Master Shifu!" Tigress exclaimed, bowing as she did for Oogway.

Well never-fucking-mind, then.

"Tigress. Master Oogway." he said, addressing the two.

He then laid eyes on me, his look becoming one that I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking.

"Who is this?"

Master Oogway motioned to me, smiling at Shifu.

"This is our guest. He knows not who he is, but he is far from home."

Shifu opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, instead just nodding his head.

"He can stay at the student barracks. There is an extra room for him." Shifu said, nodding to me in acknowledgement.

I nodded back, giving a respectful bow to him.

 **"Thank you. Your hospitality is appreciated."**

He just gave a small smile and turned to leave, walking into the building, motioning for Tigress to follow. Tigress followed him inside, as did Oogway, so I figured that I might as well follow too. Inside, there was a lot to take in. There were these wooden mechanisms made to look like warriors, a bunch of bladed rings on the ceiling, swinging clubs, some spinning shit, and some green bowl that looked like a turtle.

What kind of death trap was this? What kind of training can you get out of this?

Shifu looked back at me, then back to Tigress.

"Tigress, run the gauntlet. Let's show our guest what you can do."

Tigress nodded her head, immediately leaping into the death trap. She expertly navigated across the spinning whatevers, avoiding the swinging clubs, though I personally thought she was a bit slow. She leapt over the turtle bowl and made her way through the wooden dragons after swinging on one of the bladed ceiling rings, entirely destroying one of the wooden contraptions before landing on... some tubes?

Whoa! Fire!

Tigress expertly avoided the flames, ending her gauntlet run with a bow after she reached the end.

Shifu looked to me and waved his hand over to Tigress.

"Impressive, yes?"

I thought about it, and yes, for the average person it was impressive, and was about the level you were supposed to be before becoming a Wraith. As Tigress approached, I decided to give Shifu my honest answer.

 **"I can easily say it was quite the spectacle to watch. Very flashy. Very showy. She's obviously very skilled..."** I trailed off.

Shifu gave and almost defensive look at me.

"But...?" he asked a bit aggressively.

I thought about how to word my concerns, fully aware of Tigress watching me closely.

 **" _But_... how does she do against a live combatant? A gauntlet and a person are two different things."**

Shifu gave a small laugh.

"She is adept against a live opponent. It's not like I just make her run the gauntlet."

 **"Then I'd like to see it. I'm a warrior, I think, so I would like to see where I stand as well."**

Shifu was a bit shocked, as was Tigress. But I knew what I wanted. I had yet to face a dangerous opponent here, and my memory was still foggy. So naturally, I wanted to gauge where I was at.

"Are you certain? Tigress is a master of Kung Fu, and you don't even remember who you are."

I put my bag on the floor, along with my weapons.

 **"Of course I'm certain."**

Shifu nodded his head, motioning for Tigress to join me. I wasn't going to cheat and use my abilities, so it would be fair. I got into a loose fighting stance, watching Tigress get into one of her own. I stared her down, lighting my mask up with red lights and blowing out black smoke.

It was quite fun to do, actually.

Tigress did not react to my intimidation method, but I could see confusion in her eyes. Likely because she did not know how it worked.

"Begin!"

I gave Tigress no time to move, rushing over to her as fast as I could, closing twenty feet in a split second. Her eyes could only widen as I struck her midsection, sending her back a few meters. Not wanting to lose distance, I approached fast again, and had to dodge a punch she threw, as well as a kick to the head. Grabbing her leg, I threw her into the wooden dragons and leapt into the air.

She leapt as well, meeting me in the air and sending a flurry of punches that I had to block. She was quite slow, but that was because I was a Wraith. Had I been a normal human, it would have been quite a bit more challenging.

I returned my own series of strikes, Tigress blocking a few punches, but could not block all of them, resulting in a few strikes to the face and gut. When we landed, I faked a punch at her face and kicked her legs out from under her when she blocked high. Getting on top the moment she hit the ground, I rapidly pounded her head, her skull bouncing off of the floor with each strike.

When she tried to block her face, I punched her in the gut until she threw me off. Skidding across the ground, as well as dodging the wooden arms of the wooden dragon things, I leapt back at Tigress. She did a flying kick at me, which I narrowly avoided. Catching her by the tail, I slammed her into the ground hard. When I saw the ground crack, I worried for Tigress until I saw her eyes shoot open in rage.

Not letting her get up, I kicked her in the head hard before grabbing her by the arms. She kicked at me, managing to land a few good strikes before I jumped up, throwing her into one of the swinging clubs. She broke the club mid-air as I jumped at her and took her moment of distraction to kick her upward. When she busted through the ceiling, I followed.

Tigress was on her knees and coughing, but locked eyes with me. She immediately began running at me on all fours, so I retaliated by kicking upward as she pounced, causing her to fly over my head and through the hole. I jumped down with her, striking her in the face and sending her flying into the top of a wooden contraption, her gut slamming into it hard. I gave her no chance to recover, as I struck her back, busting the wooden warrior and sending Tigress to the ground.

She attempted to pick herself up, but could not. I wanted to continue, but it felt wrong.

But the urge was so strong. My body begged to go for the kill. I craved it. I lusted for it.

I _needed_ it.

No... I couldn't. I had to stop myself. Why would I have such an urge? I know I was an assassin, but that didn't necessarily mean that I was some blood-thirsty maniac.

 **"I refuse to fight while she is down. I have seen her skill."**

Tigress lifted her head, and started to stand, getting into an unsteady stance.

"I... am not done... fighting." Tigress said between breaths.

 **"Yes you are. If you attempt to strike me now, I will not fight back. It would be like hitting a cripple."**

Her face became one of rage, and she charged me, losing her composed form.

"Tigress, no!" Shifu shouted.

But Tigress had already leapt. However, I had a trick up my sleeve.

I stepped to the side.

Tigress struck the ground, bouncing off of the floor, attempting to get back up just to fall on her face.

"Tigress... you have done enough. Do not hurt yourself." Shifu ordered coldly.

I could see it in his eyes. A look of disappointment. As though his strong, fast, skilled student was but an insignificant whelp. I couldn't understand how he didn't hold a look of pride in his eyes for her. I was a Wraith, yet she managed to strike me not just once, but many times. That was a legendary feat in itself, as we were known to dodge _bullets_.

 **"Your student is quite the adept fighter. I'm so terribly sorry to have ever even doubted her. You must be very, _very_ proud!" **I praised.

Shifu looked a bit confused, looking at the beaten form of Tigress.

"But she was so easily beaten by you. I am proud of her, of course, but why are _you_ impressed?"

I laughed, billowing out more black smoke.

 **"Why, she managed to land plenty of good hits, and survived what would have been killing blows for others. I only recall Wraiths with such admirable skills, though that may be due to my amnesia."** I admitted, looking over at Tigress, who looked at me with a look I could not discern.

Shifu nodded his head, and I could see a smile tug at his lips. I looked to Oogway for a reaction, and saw an interesting look on his face.

It was a look of uncertainty.

Shifu saw this and immediately asked what was wrong.

"Master, what is the matter?"

Oogway turned to Shifu and motioned for him to follow, which he did. They exited the training hall, so it was just Tigress and I. Walking over to the tiger after gathering my things, I attempted to help her up, but had my hands smacked away.

"Don't touch me. You've humiliated me enough."

I ignored her protests and helped her to her feet.

 **"Don't be upset. You are a fantastic warrior."**

She huffed, looking at the floor.

"A fantastic warrior doesn't become so easily acquainted with the _floor_." she said.

I laughed, much to the anger of Tigress, but could not help it. It was pretty funny, honestly, though I did feel bad.

 **"I'm... I'm sorry. But that was funny. However, I meant what I said. You are a fantastic warrior, and though your master doesn't show any appreciation for your skill, I am willing to say you should be very proud of your skill. You managed to hold your own against _me_ , someone artificially molded into the ultimate warrior."**

Tigress' eyes widened, showing her shock at the statement.

"What do you mean?"

Right. Like I would tell you if I knew.

 **"I don't quite remember, but I'm not naturally that fast, or strong. I was changed through some kind of process involving advanced technology, and what's best described as sorcery."**

She looked as though she could not believe her ears.

"Sorcery? I was battling a creation of sorcery?"

I nodded.

 **"Though, I did not use the full extent of my abilities."**

Then, she went back to being disappointed.

 **"Hey. Don't be so hard on yourself, Stripes."**

"Don't call me that. I am a master of Kung Fu, and deserve at least _some_ respect."

I shrugged, leading her out of the training hall.

 **"I'm just being friendly. You don't have to be so serious. Life is better if you don't take it so seriously."**

Tigress broke contact with me, stopping me in my tracks with her hand. She looked me in the eyes, leaning in very close to my face.

"Maybe for you, but I am a self-respecting warrior, trained since childhood to be the best Kung Fu master I could possibly be. To have you show up and do everything you can to humiliate me is the last thing I want, and I won't have it. I am not your friend, and I want to see you gone. You aren't even supposed to be here."

I wasn't going to take that shit. I grabbed onto her arm and pulled her even closer, staring straight into her eyes, though it was pointless with the mask.

 **"Listen here. I didn't come here to humiliate you. All I want is information about this strange land I found myself in. Information about myself. You may not believe it, but those are the facts. And I may want to be your ally, but I will _not_ hesitate to put you in your fucking place."**

She struggled in my grip, but I held tight.

 **"Do I make myself clear?"**

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. As soon as she did, I let her go.

Where did that sudden anger come from?

 **"I'm... sorry. I don't know where that came from."**

She nodded her head, turning to look at me.

"No, don't apologize. I... You're right. You are justified in your anger, and I only have myself to blame for my failure. If Oogway trusts you, then... then I can trust you."

I smiled beneath my mask, though the action went unnoticed. However, in place of the smile, I decided on something else. Reaching in my bag, I pulled out the peach I had picked and handed it to Tigress. She looked at the peach, hesitating for a while, but eventually took it. It was a small gesture, but it was a sign of good will.

"I... Thank you... um, what's your name?"

I shrugged, but did have a name I liked in mind.

 **"I'm not quite sure, but you can call me... Teivel."**

"Alright then, 'Teivel'."

I thought it suited me. Especially here, it's what I was. A demon. The Devil himself. It was certainly a name that defined me. Tigress bit into the peach as we stepped outside, almost half of it gone with a single bite. As we exited the training hall, we saw Shifu on his knees alone in the courtyard.

"Master!" Tigress shouted, dropping the peach and rushing to his side.

I caught the peach before it hit the ground and walked over to Shifu to join Tigress.

"Oogway... foresees Tai Lung escaping prison. I have sent Zeng to Chorh-Gom prison to tell them to double their efforts. But... I believe we need to host the tournament to find the Dragon Warrior." Shifu said.

"We will be ready for him. We have trained for this." Tigress said proudly.

Shifu shook his head.

"No. You are not ready. None of you are. Not yet. Until we find the Dragon Warrior, nobody is."

What a strange issue.

 **"If this 'Tai Lung' is such a concern, why don't they just kill him before he escapes?"** I asked.

Tigress gave me a harsh glare, and I shrugged, genuinely confused. Shifu stayed silent, just waving us off.

"But Master-"

"No. Go find the others and give them the news. We will host the tournament tomorrow."

Tigress did not argue. Immediately, she ran off, presumably to find the other students. Deciding to leave Shifu be, I headed to search for my room.

"The student barracks are that way." Shifu said, pointing the opposite direction, not looking up at me.

How the hell did he...

 **"Of course. Thank you."**

Ignoring how weird that was, I just went to the building I could see in that direction, taking a shortcut by Rifting to it. Entering, I found it empty. All of the doors were closed except for one on the end, which I assumed was mine. Entering, I saw it was simple, having a bed and... a candle holder? Shrugging, I set my things on the bed when I noticed a box under the bed.

Opening the box, I set my things inside, placing my weapons up against the wall. Sitting on my bed, I looked at the peach in my hand. Why the fuck did I save it? It had a bite taken out of it, and I also felt no need to eat. Sighing, I went back outside and threw the peach hard, but was surprised when I saw a hand catch it. The hand belonged to Tigress, who was followed by a number of different animals.

When they reached the building, most stared at me curiously, but Tigress approached to introduce me after finishing the peach.

"This is Teivel. He is the warrior who cannot remember who he is."

I nodded, but was a bit disappointed that she introduced me herself.

 **"Come on. You could have said I was something cool, like, an angel or something."**

"But that would be a lie."

 **"Or is it?"**

Tigress started to speak, but froze instead, her eyes widening.

"Are you really?"

I laughed and shook my head. She just rolled her eyes and went inside. I observed the other students, seeing that they were a monkey, a bird, and some kind of snake. I had thought there was another, but supposed I must have missed them.

I shrugged and turned to go inside when I noticed a mantis on my shoulder.

 _Whack! Whack! Whack!_

After smacking the insect off of my shoulder, I turned to go inside when I heard a noise.

"O-Ouch."

Turning back around, I looked for the source. Hearing a faint moaning of pain, I looked down to see the mantis.

Wait.

The fifth student.

Oh SHIT!

 **"Oh damn, I'm sorry! You startled me!"** I sort of lied.

The mantis just waved his front leg, still groaning.

"It's... fine. Totally... understand." he said sarcastically. "Not like I was just going to introduce myself.

Not wanting to leave him there, I picked him up and brought him inside. Entering the barracks, I put the mantis in the room he told me to before heading to my own room. Before I entered, Tigress exited her room and turned to me.

"We will be training more in just a moment. If you need anything, bother one of the servants instead."

I thought about it, but decided on something much simpler and more entertaining.

 **"I'll just join you instead."**

Tigress nodded, and I saw the snake exit its room and lock eyes with me.

"Oh, hello! Are you a new student?"

Like hell.

 **"No, just lost."** I said with a laugh.

The snake laughed as well, smiling at me.

"Well, it happens to all of us. I'm Viper! Your name was Teivel, correct?"

I nodded my head. Wait... her name was _Viper?_

 **"That's correct. I will also be joining you for training today."**

Viper looked excited, approaching me.

"That's great! Tigress spoke highly of-"

Tigress shot Viper a glare, making the snake back down.

But it was too late.

 **"Aw, you think I'm praiseworthy? Aren't you just the sweetest?"**

Tigress was less than amused, rolling her eyes and pushing passed me and heading out the door. Viper just looked at me, and we both started to laugh. She was just too serious, I thought. Perhaps a result of Shifu's cold method of training?

I headed to follow Tigress to the training hall, and I heard the other students leave their rooms. I saw the mantis was still in rough shape, but was relatively fine. We headed to the training hall. and they introduced themselves along the way. Their names all seemed to be the name of their species. It brought up an interesting question.

 **"So, are those, like, your titles or something?"**

Crane shook his head.

"Nope. Actual names. We get that question more often than you'd think."

Right...

We reached the training hall, and the Five (minus Tigress) looked at the mess made by Tigress and I. The hole in the ceiling was larger than I remembered, and there were a lot of wooden splinters as well as spikes littering the floor.

"Man, you guys really tried to kill each other, didn't ya?" Mantis asked.

I shrugged, entering the training hall where I spotted geese trying to sweep up the mess.

 **"Pretty much. She was quite the worthy adversary, landing a good number of hits. Is she your best?"**

Viper made her way passed me, answering my question.

"I would say so. But that's what happens when you're trained by Shifu since childhood."

That explained a lot.

I nodded my head in understanding, making my way over to where Tigress was already standing. She looked up to me, but did not acknowledge that I was there. To be fair, though, she didn't acknowledge anybody at all. But I just assumed it was part of who she was. She was obviously quite reserved, if showing a bit of a temper every once in a while. At least she wasn't really annoying, or something. I'd rather her pretend she hates my guts than for her to be overly friendly.

"Are you ready?" Tigress asked the group.

Receiving multiple answers of affirmation, she got into position.

"Then let's begin."

And so we did.

For hours.

By the end of it, however, the Five were in much worse shape than I was, as was the training hall.

Exiting the training hall, I headed to the student barracks. When I noticed the Five were much farther behind, except for Tigress, I slowed down for them. Once they reached me, I stayed at their pace.

"Tigress... wasn't exaggerating. You're fast!" Viper said mostly to herself, still breathing hard.

Feeling pleased with myself, I entered the barracks. I headed into my room, but I sensed someone by my door. Turning around, I saw Tigress in the doorway.

"I wanted to know what you would be doing during the tournament."

I chuckled.

 **"Why? Worried about me?"**

Tigress rolled her eyes, stepping into my room and shutting my door.

" _No_ , I just need to know that you aren't going to get into trouble."

This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes.

 **"Just who do you think I am? I don't 'get into trouble', and if I do, I can get myself out of it."** I explained, holding up a sword for emphasis.

Tigress approached me rapidly, staring me down.

"I don't trust you. Do you understand that? Especially when you just showed up out of nowhere armed."

 **"And here I thought we were becoming friends. What happened to that 'Oogway trusts you and so do I' thing?"**

Tigress backed down, staring at the ground.

"I did say that, didn't I? I suppose I just... I'm worried. Tai Lung has me on edge."

I had a question about that.

 **"Who is this 'Tai Lung'? Why don't we just kill him?"**

Tigress let out a long sigh, then looked me in the eye.

"He was Shifu's first student. He raised him since he was just a cub. Shifu saw Tai Lung was a prodigy in Kung Fu, and Tai Lung mastered the thousand scrolls of Kung Fu. But when Oogway denied him the title of Dragon Warrior, Tai Lung only proved Oogway right, unleashing his dark anger on the Valley of Peace. When he attempted to take the scroll by force, Shifu could not fight what he had created. After Tai Lung shattered Shifu's hip, Oogway used the chi block technique on him, paralyzing him. Now, Tai Lung is in prison."

Tigress broke eye contact, looking past me at nothing in particular.

"Ever since, Shifu has closed his heart to others. That is why he does not show his pride in us."

Something told me that she told _herself_ that exact thing every day.

But that reminded me.

 **"Where has Shifu gone, by the way?"**

"He is likely in the Dragon Grotto. It is where he meditates when he needs some time on his own."

 **"Everybody needs some time all alone."**

Because nothing lasts forever in the cold November rain.

Ha.

It was going to be a lot less fun making references from my culture to people who didn't understand it.

Tigress just nodded in agreement.

"Yes. It is important for keeping a peaceful mind."

I sat down on my bed, pulling out my sword. I rolled up the sleeve on my cloak and removed the armor on my forearm before placing the blade on my arm, testing the sharpness by shaving the hairs on my arm. Satisfied by the smooth bald patch it left, I wiped the blade off and put it back in the sheath before doing the same for the other blade.

"What are you doing? You could hurt yourself!" Tigress exclaimed.

Putting the other blade away, I looked at Tigress while I put the armor back on.

 **"Well it doesn't help when you shout, potentially startling me."**

Tigress put a hand on the back of her head, rubbing it in embarrassment.

"Right. But still. Don't do that."

I scoffed, partially offended.

 **"What, you think I'm some careless moron? I don't cut myself by mistake."**

Tigress nodded her head, but then had a look of extreme concern. Realizing the mistake with my word choice, I quickly corrected the worrying error.

 **"To be clear, I don't do it intentionally either."**

Tigress looked relieved. I pulled out my holo-phone and looked at the time, while Tigress was mesmerized by the device.

"What is _that?_ "

Turning the phone back off, I waved in in my hand, motioning to it.

 **"Just a holo-phone. From what I remember, everyone back home has one. It lets us communicate from anywhere in the world as long as the other person has one, and if we are connected to something called 'the internet', we can access the culmination of all of our knowledge and media. We can also take pictures with it, as well as a few other things, like play games, or track our health as just a couple of examples."**

Tigress appeared amazed, but seemed to have a question.

"What do you mean by 'take pictures'?"

 **"Oh, it just means that with a device in the phone called a camera, it will essentially make a copy of whatever image you want it to simply by giving it the command. However, I think that it would be best just to show you."**

Turning on the camera, I stood up and approached Tigress, turning the camera to the front-facing one. When Tigress saw herself on the screen, her face lit up in surprise.

 **"Smile."**

She did not. However, I took the picture nonetheless. Oddly enough, it almost seemed as though I was slightly... transparent. Shrugging it off as "I was probably dead", I showed Tigress the picture. This time, however, she did smile.

"That's amazing. It's so accurate!"

Damn right it is. But we weren't done yet.

 **"Then you'll love to see a video."**

When she gave a look of curiosity, I aimed the camera at her.

 **"Just trust me on this. When I give the signal, do a high kick, or some kind of move."**

She hesitated for a moment, but nodded, getting ready. Putting the camera on video mode, I pressed the floating (and honestly gimmicky) "record" button and gave a wave with my hand. Tigress immediately kicked her leg up into the air, following it up by leaping into the air and giving a flurry of kicks before landing and bowing. Ending the video, I smiled wide and moved to show Tigress.

She looked at the phone, her eyes full of curiosity and anticipation. When I played the video, her smile only grew as she viewed herself execute the moves so perfectly on the screen. I pressed the replay button for her, letting her see it again. After it was over, she reached over and started it again herself, having figured it out. She seemed completely awestruck as she viewed the perfectly smooth video.

"This is amazing. And you can watch it whenever you want?"

When I nodded, she got excited.

"This would help so much with training. I already know how I would implement it."

"Hey, uh, could you keep it down?" I heard Crane shout from the other room.

Tigress did not appear to listen, instead moving over to open the door leading to Crane's room.

"Crane. You must see this."

Crane put a wing on his forehead in a pseudo-facepalm.

"Fine. If it's got you of all people excited, it must be the greatest thing since... what is _that?_ "

This was going to take all night.

* * *

I let out a sigh as I saw light coming in from outside. Tigress had felt the need to let everyone know about the phone. If I had thought Tigress was excited about it, the others practically went _berserk_ over it. I couldn't get them to leave it alone. Eventually, I got Tigress to help me throw them out. After an apology from Tigress, we had bid each other a good night, Tigress going to sleep while I just attended my equipment.

I kind of wished I needed sleep, since it was boring with nothing to do. I could have went into the village, but I worried the villagers would see me as some kind of demon and riot. But that was a problem for later.

Getting up and heading to the door, I stretched, letting out a deep sigh of content. It was somewhat fun to blow the black smoke clouds, even if it was a bit concerning. Ignoring the potential issue, I opened the door, singing quietly to myself.

 **"~Make up your mind, and I'll promise you, I will treat you well, my sweet angel!- oh."**

Down the hall was Shifu, giving me an unamused look as he stood next to a gong. Shaking his head, he hit the gong. The Furious Five immediately exited their rooms, greeting their master.

"Good morning, Master!"

I just stood with my hands in my pockets, hoping nobody else heard me singing.

"Good morning, students. Today is the day of the tournament. I expect you to do better than you ever have today. Oogway will choose one of you as the Dragon Warrior, so I want to see only the best."

"Yes, Master!"

Like trained dogs. Shifu looked down the hall at me, pointing a finger at me.

"You! If you would like to watch the tournament, join us. Otherwise, do not interfere."

Well that was the harshest invitation I've ever received. Well, at least I think so. Y'know, 'cuz of bad memory and whatnot.

 **"I wouldn't miss it. Thank you."**

With that, they headed off to prepare. Not really certain what to do, I just followed with my swords and rifle. I was going to use them, as I needed to get the satisfaction of doing so. The Five headed to what I believed to be the entrance of the palace. I knew it had some kind of enclosed courtyard, where I assumed the tournament would be held.

When I reached the training hall, I entered to see it completely empty, and repaired.

Whoever did the repairs here deserved a huge fuckin' raise.

Looking to the "wooden warriors", as I learned they were called, I propped the door open with the dummy thing and rifted into a tree in the distance that still allowed me to see the warriors while giving a challenge. Taking aim with my rifle, I rapidly blasted a hole in the heads of the wooden warriors. It had only taken about two seconds, and I had managed to get them right on target. One shot per kill.

Damn, I was good. But I didn't feel satisfied. I realized that the swinging clubs were not active, so I Rifted inside and got them going. Watching them swing, I chuckle in satisfaction.

This would be good.

But I needed something else...

A timer! A could use my phone, but why not try something?

Grabbing a piece of rope, I used the same ability that branded people to set the rope ablaze. As soon as it was lit, I leapt onto the spinning logs, avoiding the swinging clubs and blasting the wooden warriors. Not a single other club had the chance to swing at me before I had shot all of the heads of the wooden warriors.

I still needed something else...

A classic closed-eyes challenge would do fine.

Shutting my eyes, I listened carefully to the sound of the swinging club coming, leaping out of the way. I fired to where I remembered the wooden warriors to be, dodging another club. I knew there was still one I had missed. And that rope was only getting shorter. Leaping into the air, I pulled out a sword and activated the heated edges, slicing the chain of an oncoming club as though it were water.

Landing, I realized that the rope was likely almost burned out. But I was going to have my fun.

Was that the sound of someone at the door?

Wait, shit! On a time limit! No distractions.

Sword in hand, I jumped toward the final wooden warrior, blasting the chains holding the two swinging clubs I heard coming my way. Raising my blade, I swung down, cleaving through the contraption and part of the floor.

I opened my eyes and turned to admire my handiwork when I saw Tigress standing at the doorway, her eyes wide as she processed what she saw.

 **"This was... uh... like this when I got here."**

Tigress shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Well now I know what that weapon does." she said before regaining her composure.

"Anyway, the tournament is going to begin soon. Oogway wants you to stand with him as a guest, though Shifu doesn't seem to understand why. Come with me."

Sheathing my sword after deactivating the heated edges, I leapt over to Tigress and followed her to our destination. I could hear the sounds of cheering as I approached, and I could easily tell that this was something the people looked forward to. Eventually, I found myself standing with the Five, staring at the large crowd coming.

Oogway spotted me and waved me over, smiling widely.

"Ah, my new friend. How has your stay been?"

Letting my rifle hang by its strap, I looked at Oogway, seeing his wise eyes and calming smile.

 **"It's been quite pleasant. The training hall is quite** **something."**

He laughed softly, nodding his head while waving at the crowds of people.

"It is, isn't it?"

He then turned to Shifu, who was watching carefully over the crowd.

"Are they ready?"

Shifu turned to the tortoise, then to the Five.

"Of course. More than they have been for anything."

Oogway smiled, looking back at the crowd.

"Excellent." he said, turning to me. "How exciting. Makes me wish I had something to capture the moment."

Oh, how interesting that very specific wish was. Good thing I had something on me just for that very specific wish.

 **"Funny you say that. I have just the thing."**

Pulling out my phone, I showed it to Oogway and explained what it does. He smiled, watching as I showed off the features.

"How interesting that you just happened to have something to fulfill that specific wish."

Yeah, I know right?

I could see the Five getting into positions around the arena, and the doors started to close. Hitting the record button, I turned to Oogway.

 **"This is gonna be good."**

Oogway laughed.

"I would hope so."

Then, it was my turn to laugh. I liked this old tortoise! Shifu took in a deep breath, putting his hand into the air, making the crowd become somewhat quieter.

"CITIZENS OF THE VALLEY OF PEACE, IT IS MY GREAT HONOR TO PRESENT TO YOU: TIGRESS, VIPER, CRANE, MONKEY, MANTIS. THE FURIOUS FIVE!"

The crowd went wild as the Five leapt into the air, chanting "Furious Five!" when the Five landed, striking their poses. It was quite amazing to watch, but hard as fuck to record. Shifu started the tournament, Crane going first.

Each of the Furious Five went their turn, showing off their skills in amazing spectacles full of suspense. I thought it was kinda hokey, but it was still fun.

"AND FINALLY, MASTER TIGRESS! BELIEVE ME CITIZENS, YOU HAVE NOT SEEN _ANYTHING_ YET!"

Well that probably sucked to hear for the other members of the Five.

Tigress prepared to face "Iron ox and his blades of death" when Oogway held up his hand, making the whole arena go silent.

"I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us." Oogway said softly.

The Five lined up in the middle of the arena, and Oogway slowly made his way down the steps. The suspense was unreal, and somewhat exciting, though I really wanted to see Tigress perform. When he reached the five, I saw him raising his hand to Tigress when I heard a cracking and fizzing sound in the air. Looking up, I zoomed in with my phone to see the ball of flames in the air. I couldn't make out what it was, but eventually it starting falling down.

Then, I realized it was a person-

 _SMACK!_

And now they were dead.

Or so I thought. Their eyes began to open, and the panda quickly got up, apologizing for getting in the way. I could see Oogway was pointing at him, but Tigress stepped up.

"Master, are you pointing at me?"

"Him!" Oogway said cheerfully.

The panda moved around, but Oogway's finger followed.

"Who?" the panda asked.

"You!"

"Me?" he asked again.

Oogway lifted the panda's arm into the air, speaking to the crowd.

"The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!"

What?

"What?" the panda asked.

"What?" Shifu shouted.

"WHAT?" the Five shouted.

"WHAT!?" some goose dude at the entrance shouted.

A gong sounded, and music played as the crowd cheered. Realizing I was still recording, I quickly aimed it at "the Dragon Warrior" and observed a group of geese attempt to carry the panda while Shifu scrambled to stop them.

But as expected, the geese were struggling.

Letting out a sigh, I jumped over to the panda and picked him up myself, carrying him over my shoulder to the palace, shrugging when I saw the confused looks of the Five. I heard Shifu speaking with Oogway about something as I carried the panda up the steps. I brought him into the building, seeing the place myself for the first time.

Setting the panda down, I greeted the panda.

 **"So, Oogway thinks you're the 'Dragon Warrior', eh? Well I've never seen a regular person just walk off a fall like that, so who am I do judge? I'm Teivel, the Wraith."** I said, blowing out black smoke to make an interesting first impression.

The panda just stared slack-jawed at me, waving his hand through the black smoke. He then just stared at my mask, so I decided to give him a little surprise. I rapidly flashed the red and white lights in my mask while blowing smoke out rapidly through the mask, making him jump back and yelp while giving me a good laugh.

 **"Ah, never gets old. Who are you, Dragon Warrior?"** I asked, letting the lights settle on a dark green before shutting them off.

He stuttered for a moment, but eventually composed himself enough to speak.

"I... I'm Po. I, uh, think there's been a mistake, honestly."

Yeah, you and everybody else. But Oogway insisted.

 **"Well that may be the case, but you never know, right?"**

"How optimistic of you."

Turning around, I could see Shifu standing in front of some kind of pool with a dragon head above it. Shifu approached Po, staff in hand, and observed the panda.

"I can see that you have met our guest, panda. But know this: he is much, _much_ more optimistic about you than I. Just look at you! You're a flabby, fat, utter waste of oxygen. To be the Dragon Warrior and receive the Dragon Scroll," Shifu said, pointing at the metal dragon, "as well as its secrets to unlimited power, you must master the highest level of Kung Fu. But that may not be possible for someone like you."

Po looked at himself, looking quite upset.

"Like me?"

Shifu turned to Po, and poked him in the gut.

"A fat, clumsy fool of a panda."

Po looked at the ground in shame.

"Oogway may have chosen you, but when I'm through with you, I will make you wish he hadn't." Shifu said, turning to leave.

Something told me he held back only because I was here. I didn't want to know what he would do to the panda if I wasn't.

Po looked defeated, but followed Shifu nonetheless. I followed as well, following Shifu to the training hall. Opening the doors, I could see the Five already inside, sparring with each other or testing their skills. As we entered, Tigress broke one of the remaining clubs with her hands, flinging the pieces our direction.

Fortunately for Po, I caught the one headed directly for his head with my right hand. Tigress just looked at me in frustration, as if hitting Po with it was exactly her plan. Honestly, I didn't doubt it a bit.

Turning to Po, I patted him on the back, pointing to the obstacles.

 **"Don't worry. They're only just as difficult as they look."** I joked.

But then I remembered who I was talking to. For the panda, this was a death trap. Shifu seemed to find it funny, however, as he laughed to himself.

"And that is a fact. Well then... go ahead, panda."

Po's eyes widened, and he backed away.

"Well, I don't think I can do all of those... Kung Fu moves. Can we start off on something a bit easier?"

I had an idea.

 **"I can get you started with some slow paced sparring, if you'd like."**

Shifu seemed like he wanted to argue, but did not.

"Alright then. Go ahead, panda. Show us what you can do."

I set my things down on a table and out of the way before posting up. Po hesitated, and didn't seem to know what he was doing with his hands, but got into some kind of abomination of a fighting stance.

At least it was something.

 **"Alright. We'll start off slow. You can go as fast as you want, and I'll match you. We'll start with punches. You will punch at me, and I will attempt to dodge. Then, I will throw the punches, and _you_ will dodge. Understood?"**

The Five had stopped their own training to observe, making Po nervous, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Yeah, sure. I got this!"

Sure thing, man.

 **"Whenever you're ready."**

Po nodded, then started speaking a bit quietly, his words appearing to mostly be words to hype himself up. Then, he cocked his arm back and punched.

Very slowly.

I ducked out of the way, then weaved left for the next punch.

 **"Come on, work on that form! Keep it consistent! That punch was sloppy."**

Avoiding an attempt at an uppercut, I moved back into place, circling Po.

 **"Faster. Don't let me get away from you. Lean into your punches, and make your swings fast. You want to send as many punches my way as possible."**

He quickened his speed, but his form got sloppy again, so I corrected him. After about five minutes, he seemed to already be tired, so I decided to switch it up.

 **"I won't tell you that you did well, because you didn't. If I was a crippled great-grandmother with a knife, I would have killed you."** I said, making the others laugh.

Po looked put down, but I wasn't done yet.

 **"And your form was dreadful. But I'm glad to see you at least attempted to improve, and your form was actively getting better. But now it's time for _you_ to dodge."**

He gulped as I posted up. He started to speak, but couldn't. Swallowing again, he finally spoke.

"Ready...?"

I wasted no time taking the swing. However, I made it slow enough for him to process. Unfortunately, he still wasn't fast enough, and was laid out immediately. To his credit, he got up and shook it off, ready to continue.

So, I swung again, Po dodging it this time by moving his head back.

 **"Don't lean too far back or you'll lose your balance. Watch my every movement. They will tip you off on what I will do next."**

I stepped forward and punched at his gut, only to have his hand deflect it.

 **"Good!"**

I then faked right and hit him in the gut.

 **"But don't let it go to your head.** **"**

For the next five minutes, we did the same thing, and he honestly got a bit better. Once we were done, I put my hand on his shoulder and chuckled.

 **"Well that was the slowest fight I've ever had. But in time, you'll make to be a great piece of cannon fodder."**

Po just gave a half-hearted chuckle.

"Right... so, what now?"

 **"Well I'm tired of this shit, so** **you'll fight one of the wooden warriors."**

I jumped into the gauntlet, ripped a wooden warrior from its spot, and leapt back up to Po, placing the wooden warrior in front of him. Shifu put a hand on his forehead and sighed.

"You could have just grabbed a replacement from the back. One of the ones not _already installed_."

Oops.

 **"Too late now. Sorry 'bout that."**

Po stared at the wooden contraption, confused until he pushed one of the arms, only to have it swing around and hit him in the back of the head. He turned to me, so I just shrugged, and gave a thumbs up. The others were bored, so they just went back to training while I watched Po. He fearfully tapped the arms, just ducking instead of deflecting them.

 **"Go on. Hit them. Fast, strong hits. Pretend it, like, stole a cookie from you, or something."**

"Ha... ha... right." Po said with a fake smile, afraid to get hurt.

Goddammit.

I sighed, looking around for some padding and rope. Finding both, I wrapped up the arms of the wooden warrior and motioned for Po to continue.

 **"If this still hurts you, I'm killing you myself. By cooking you in the Field of Fiery Death."**

Yeah, it's quite the name isn't it? I thought it was pretty pessimistic.

"Okay then...wow... uh..."

Po experimentally hit the padded arm, and smile wide before striking it a bit harder, deflecting the arm swinging around. He continued to do this, becoming faster and more confident. Without a way of getting hurt too badly, he was able to hone his reflexes. Shifu at first held a look of disapproval, but smiled at me. He approached me, smiling.

"That's quite the way to start him off. Not bad at all. But you do realize it won't make him strong enough to defeat Tai Lung, right?"

I chuckled and grabbed my rifle, holding it up for Shifu to see.

 **"That's what this is for.** **"**

I then pointed the rifle at the chain of one of the remaining swinging clubs, blasting it in half as it sailed toward Tigress, who shattered the remains. Shifu was in awe at the weapon. Hell, why wouldn't he be? It was accurate, could fire over five hundred shots without recharging, had multiple places for accessories like the scope on top and plasma flamethrower (my personal favorite), and could melt steel.

It was amazing.

"No. It is the Dragon Warrior's destiny. Just not _that_ Dragon Warrior."

Shrugging, I set the gun back down.

 **"Just a suggestion."**

Shifu let out a sigh and looked dejectedly at Po.

"I just can't believe Oogway would pick someone like him when there are so many other _actual_ masters. He was going to point at Tigress, and then that flabby panda fell in front of him. Even _you_ would make for a much better applicant. and you don't even use Kung Fu."

Running a gloved hand over my rifle, I let out a heavy sigh of my own.

 **"I understand. But I can tell that Oogway is wise. He knows things that I don't even understand how he knows about them. So surely, he sees _something_ in Po over there. We should at least work with what we have, right?"**

Shifu shook his head.

"We shouldn't _have_ to work with _that._ "

 **"I know, but are you saying that Oogway doesn't know what he's talking about?"**

He gave an angry look, clearly upset at the implication.

"Of course not! You dare insinuate such a thing? It's just... I don't understand. How do we turn _that,_ " he asked, pointing at Po, "into the Dragon Warrior?"

I shrugged, watching Po deflect the padded arms of the wooden warrior. I decided to try something.

Picking up a ceramic disk, I shouted Po's name, and threw the disk at him as soon as he turned around. Immediately, he ducked out of the way, but I had already thrown another. This time, he stepped to his left, accidentally smacking into an arm of the wooden warrior, forcing him to deflect multiple padded arms.

I leapt toward him, tossing a few more, the panda opting to run away. Not having it, I chased him down into the course, forcing him to attempt to keep balance as I tossed the next ceramic disk. When he leapt down screaming, I pulled out my rifle and blasted at his feet, forcing him to run where I wanted him to. When he entered the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, I tossed the last disk at him, forcing him to make his way through the wooden warriors.

I watched as he got smacked by a few of the arms, but deflected the rest, making his way into the Field of Fiery Death as I activated my flamethrower attachment, burning the air around him. But after he was on the Field, I stopped.

 **"When you hear the whistle of flammable gas, run."**

He looked confused until he heard just that. He leapt out of the way, only to immediately have to roll to avoid turning into a crisp. Eventually, he escaped the perilous course. I approached him, nodding my head in approval.

 **"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? I knew you could do it.** **"** I said to the heavily breathing panda.

"What... are you... talking about? That sucked!" he said between breaths.

I laughed, much to the chagrin of the panda.

 **"You aren't dead, are you?"**

"Might as... well be."

What a baby.

Looking around, I saw the Five, as well as Shifu, were watching. The looks were mixed, mostly being of surprise.

"I didn't think he could make it." Crane admitted.

"Yeah, me neither. But I'm also surprised he survived the trip up the stairs to the palace." Mantis joked, making Viper shoot him a dirty look.

Viper slithered over to the tired panda with a smile.

"Well I thought you did great. Of course, Teivel's 'inspiration' probably helped."

Po stood up straight, staring at the Five in awe.

"The Furious Five... it's so amazing to meet you guys!"

Oh, because the technologically advanced ghost assassin isn't cool. Yeah, thanks.

"And you have so much cool stuff! You're awesome!"

Never mind.

 **"Yeah, but I'm just a lost soul around these parts. Though, I think I'll be here for a while."**

Tigress approached Po, an angry look on her face.

"You aren't here to be our friend. You shouldn't even be here. If I were you, I'd have run away already."

Po looked downtrodden, fiddling with his hands.

"I... I know. But still, it's good to-"

"Shut up. You're a disgrace. I don't know why Oogway would choose you over someone who actually knows Kung Fu."

I put my hand on Tigress' shoulder, making her turn to look at me.

 **"Tigress, give the guy a break. We've all given him shit for being here, and we're stuck with him. Might as well try to, uh... inspire him to become better, you know?"**

Tigress looked as though she was going to throw up at the prospect.

"Right, because he's worth any of our time, right? As if he'll ever become anything."

 **"Well, what else are we going to be doing? As if training some more is going to change a whole lot for any of _us,_ so we might as well train _with_ him. According to Oogway, who knows more than we do, it's _his_ destiny to stop this 'Tai Lung' guy, not ours. Makes sense to help him out."**

Tigress scoffed, crossing her arms.

"So you've been here for a day and a half, and suddenly you know better than us?"

 **"I certainly like to think so. I also know that your jealousy blinds you."**

"WHAT!? You think I'm jealous of that fat, worthless panda?"

I laughed at Tigress, making her look as though she was going to try and gut me.

 **"Of course you are. To be trained by the cold teacher that is Shifu for so long, only to have the title of 'Dragon Warrior' given to some random panda? No doubt in my mind that you're jealous."**

Tigress wanted to argue, but couldn't, instead opting to stay silent. Her arms stayed crossed as she glared at the panda. Po just watched the floor as he headed to leave the training hall. I honestly felt bad for the guy, as he seemed just as surprised to be told he was the Dragon Warrior as everyone else was. Turning to the others, I gave a huff of frustration.

 **"You know, it's not like he asked to be chosen as the Dragon Warrior. We shouldn't give him such a hard time. Tell me, have any of you ever been ridiculed for something you couldn't help? I don't know if I have, but I imagine it sucks. Don't be a bunch of dicks. _Tigress_."**

They looked a bit guilty, though it was mostly Tigress. Viper didn't hold a look of guilt, but that's because she wasn't exactly cruel to Po. Tigress let out a heavy sigh, excusing herself to leave. When she headed out of the training hall, she bowed to Shifu before leaving. I decided to follow her, and maybe find Po.

Actually, it was probably better to let him decide if he was willing to put up with the ridicule himself. If he couldn't handle insults, then he couldn't handle combat. Instead, I just Rifted into my room when I realized that Po still needed somewhere to sleep. Though, I wasn't sure if he would come back. Oh well. I would just find somewhere else to keep my things if Po was going to stay. Maybe Tigress' room? She didn't seem like the type to look through the belongings of others.

Guess I'd just wait to find out.

For the next few hours, I sharpened my swords and knife, charged my rifle with the solar energy collector, and polished my armor. It wasn't much to do, so I just kept sharpening my blades. Though, I didn't want to take off too much material. The whet stone I used was just one I found lying around, and wasn't as good as the one I remembered using.

Eventually, I heard the others enter their rooms, talking to each other. After they went quiet, I heard a creaking in the hall. Stepping out of my room, I saw it was Po. I had to hand it to him, since he had gotten quite the verbal lashing. But he was also making a bunch of noise.

 **"Just hurry up and get in here."**

He nodded his head and tip-toe ran over to me, but Tigress stepped out of her room and got in his way.

"I'm surprised you came back."

Po just gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"Me too, honestly."

Tigress sighed, crossing her arms.

"Listen here, panda. You are not Dragon Warrior material. But fortunately for you, Teivel has convinced us to give you a chance. I may not think you deserve the title of Dragon Warrior, but I will respect Oogway's decision. However, we will not expect anything less than what the Dragon Warrior should be capable of from you. We will give you a chance. Do not let us down."

Po seemed stunned for a moment, as was I. I had not expected such a thing to come from her. But there it was.

"Thank you, Master Tigress. I won't let you down!"

She huffed, turning back around to her room.

"Good."

Before she entered her room, I tapped her on the shoulder.

 **"Since he's staying in that room, I would like to put my things in your room. I trust that you will not touch my things."**

Tigress nodded her head, so I grabbed my things and entered her room, sliding the box under her bed for safe keeping. I stood up and stretched, looking back at Tigress, who tilted her head, apparently thinking about something.

"So, with that panda in your room, where will you be sleeping?"

Great question, Tigress.

 **"I don't really need to sleep. I just need something to occupy my time."**

Tigress thought for a moment, but could not think of anything.

"I can't imagine what you could do besides train some more."

Lame. But that did give me an idea.

 **"What if I just watch over the valley at night? Like a vigilante of some kind."**

Mulling it over, Tigress nodded her head.

"It could work. The people of the Valley have already seen you before, so they will likely not be afraid if you come to their rescue. Well, they might, but they also might not."

 **"Thanks, Tigress. Really great to hear."** I said sarcastically.

She just shrugged as she got onto her bed, preparing to sleep.

"Goodnight, Teivel."

I nodded, running a hand over my rifle.

 **"Same to you, Tigress. Want a kiss goodnight?"** I joked.

Tigress smiled a ghost of a chuckle coming from her.

"Might be nice. Just to show me you care."

I thought about a response, but had another idea instead. Pulling my phone from my cloak, I placed it at the foot of her bed after changing the language to Chinese and taking off the passcode.

 **"Just in case you can't sleep, press this button,"** I said, pointing to the power button, **"to turn it on. From there, just do what you want. It's easy to figure out."**

"Why would I not be able to sleep?"

Shrugging once more, I gave a simple response.

 **"Don't know. That's why I said, 'Just in case'."**

With that, I turned to leave, waving goodbye to Tigress, who gave a small wave back.

She was going to play on that thing all night.

Are we really doing euphemisms now, Teivel?

Gross.

Ignoring that thought, I left the barracks and headed to the edge of the cliff before leaping down, landing silently and weightlessly on the roof of a home. Running across the rooftops, I scanned for trouble. After finding none, I went back again, watching like a hawk. Even if I found nothing all night, I would still continue doing this the next night. If I could help anyone, I would.

Eventually, I got my wish when I heard some low voices.

"Shut up! We don't want to wake them up, idiot!" a low voice barked.

"Don't tell me to shut up, or else you can unlock this door yourself." a feminine voice replied.

Looking down, I spotted a gorilla, a boar, a wolf, and a crocodile. Figuring that they were up to no good, I turned my white lights on and leapt down, pulling out one of my blades and grabbing my rifle.

 **"And just what do you think you're doing?"**

They all turned around rapidly, the wolf attempting to hide the lock pick.

"Nothing. Uh... oh hey! You're the guy that was standing with Shifu and Oogway during the Dragon Warrior selection!" the crocodile pointed out, attempting to distract me while the others moved to surround.

 **"If I were you guys, I would go right back to where you were standing rather than get nicely bisected."**

The wolf did as told, but the boar and gorilla did not.

"Right. Like you could take all of us." the gorilla said, pulling out a mace.

Before he could react, I shot a laser bolt through his skull, spraying smoking grey matter onto the ground before his body was disintegrated.

Just another perk of being a Wraith: no mess. I just had to make their bodies disappear.

The other thieves stared in horror until the boar charged me. I gave him no chance to realize how grave his mistake was before decapitating him. As his body disintegrated as well, I approached the last two.

 **"On your knees."**

They did as told, and I put away my sword as I prepared my Brand. Blowing out a black smoke cloud, I placed my hands on their faces, burning my symbol into their features. They attempted to scream in agony, but could not. When I finished, I let go of their faces and grabbed the wolf by the collar of her clothing, knocking out the crocodile with a kick to the skull.

 **"You will leave this valley. If I see you again, I will likely kill you. However, there is something I want you to tell those who come across your path."**

"Y-Yes! Of course! Just don't hurt me!" the wolf woman begged.

Laughing, I let the wolf go, staring them down.

 **"Tell them that The Wraith watches over the Valley of Peace. Now, go. Never return."**

She nodded her head and ran, leaving the crocodile behind. Not wanting him to just get away after he woke up, I picked up some nearby rope and tied him to a tree. Hopefully, he would tell those that found him of me. I wanted a message to get through to the world.

Standing at the top of a large building, I looked over the valley. My time here had been quite interesting so far, and I was happy to have a purpose. One thing was certain, though.

Teivel the Wraith was going to make history.

* * *

 _Howdy, y'all. This idea had been floating around in my head for a while, so I just finally got it down so I could stop thinking about it. More will be coming soon, even though I didn't like how this turned out. But all will be worked out. So tell me, what did you guys think? Did it suck? If so, why? If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to let me know. Until next time!_


	2. Tai Lung's Return

The morning sun rose over the Valley, basking the silent village in golden morning light. The peaceful sounds of water trickled in the distance as I made my way back up to the Jade Palace, speeding up the steps. I Hied over the walls, my smoky form sailing through the air before I entered the barracks silently, waiting for Shifu to ring the gong.

Then, I remembered a particularly unfit panda that likely wasn't going to wake up on time. At this point, Shifu was a bit late anyway, so if Po didn't get the hell up now, he'd not like what would happen. To spare him the humiliation, I made my way into his room, seeing him snoring and hanging halfway off of his bed. I shook him hard, making him wake up in confusion.

"Hu-Wha-?"

 **"Shh. Get up. Shifu will be here any second now. When you hear the gong, exit your room, stand at attention, and be sure to greet him with a good ol' fashioned 'Good morning, Master.'"**

He nodded, slowly getting up from his bed.

"Uh, thanks... Teivel, right?"

I nodded, stepping out of his room. I noticed Shifu make his way into the hallway with the gong, so I nodded toward him in acknowledgement. He nodded back at me and raised the mallet to strike the gong.

 _GONG!_

The Five immediately exited their rooms, greeting their master.

"Good Morning, Master!"

Po made his way out of his room, only a few seconds behind.

"Good Morning, Master!"

Shifu seemed surprised, as did most of the Five.

"I'm surprised you were up in time, panda, even though I hadn't told you when to get up. A mistake on my part. But from now on, you will be getting up before sunrise every morning. Is that clear?"

Po's eyes went wide, obviously not content with such hours.

"What? Why do I have to-"

I elbowed him in the gut, making him shut up.

"...Yes, Master Shifu."

Shifu nodded, motioning for us all to follow.

"Good. Now come. We must begin immediately."

After setting my swords and gun in Tigress's room, I followed the group into the courtyard, where I was certain Shifu had some form of cruel training to subject Po to. It was obvious from the start that Shifu did _not_ want to train Po, and would likely treat him unfairly. Hopefully, he had taken what I had said into consideration. I wasn't exactly Po's friend, but I felt for the poor guy. He didn't ask to be the Dragon Warrior.

In the courtyard, there were multiple boxes of ceramic plates, as well as racks of staffs and other weapons.

How exciting.

Shifu stood in the middle of the courtyard, motioning to the many items before turning to the panda.

"Panda, today you will be brought more agony than you have ever felt in your life. However, I have considered what Teivel had said, and have decided to give you a chance. That does _not_ mean this will be easy. Only fair."

Po swallowed hard, putting on a fake smile.

"Oh. Grrrreat."

"Yes. Great indeed." Shifu said with a small and somewhat sadistic laugh.

This might end badly.

So at least it would be entertaining.

"So, Panda, let's see how much you have improved since yesterday. If you show any improvement at all, I will be not only surprised, but I will also be more willing to believe you are not completely worthless."

Po stood silently for just a moment before taking a deep breath and bowing to Shifu.

"I won't let you down, Master."

"Good. Now, Teivel, if you don't mind, I would like you to spar with him as you had yesterday. This time, however, speed it up a bit."

I nodded, giving a thumbs up before making my way to Po, who was stretching as best he could before our sparring match. He stumbled as he tried to touch his toes, but recovered, looking around to see if anyone noticed. Of course we all did, but we said nothing. Once he was done stretching, he got into a fighting stance that resembled some kind of Kung Fu. I just stayed without any kind of stance as to not let him know how to defend against me, though he wouldn't anyway.

 **"Try to go easy on me, please."** I said sarcastically to Po, making the others laugh.

The panda chuckled, smiling at me.

"I'll try to."

I smiled beneath my mask, waiting for Shifu to tell us to start.

"Begin!"

I leapt over Po, grabbing him from behind and throwing him down, immediately taking him out of the fight. To my surprise, however, Po started to stand up, recovering from the blow. I could see he was determined, and I respected that. I also knew he was hoping to gain Shifu's approval, so I figured I could help him out a bit.

 **"You are determined, Po. But don't let that determination blind you to a more realistic approach to beating me. As of now, your ability to attack is limited. Focus on the defensive."**

He looked around, hesitating.

"Are you... Is this, like, some kind of trick advice or...?"

I shook my head, circling him.

 **"Think about it. Do you really stand a chance at going on the offensive?"**

"I don't have a chance at being on the defensive either."

I shook my head, moving closer to him.

 **"Not exactly. If you eliminate any potential weak points, and prevent a proper assault, you could render my attacks nearly useless."**

"But how do I do that?"

I smiled beneath my mask, not giving him an answer as I rushed him, seeing how he would react. I went low, going for his midsection. Taking my advice, he defended himself as best he could, rolling out of the way and causing me to hit nothing. In retaliation, I swept my leg toward where he rolled to as he tried to stand up. He hit the ground hard, and I took the opportunity to pounce on him, fist at the ready.

To my surprise, he quickly put his feet up and launched me across the courtyard. Everything felt like it was in slow motion as I sailed through the air, my body automatically correcting its position. I could see the shocked looks of the Five and Shifu, the group not believing their eyes. To be honest, I couldn't believe it either as my feet hit the ground, dust flying into the air as I skid to a halt.

Po saw what he had managed to do and started cheering, clearly proud of himself. Unfortunately, I would have to show him the harsh reality of things.

 **"Not bad, but you haven't even come close to winning yet."**

Before he could react, I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his waist, tossing him into the air behind me. I sent out a flurry of jabs into him before he hit the ground. As soon as he was back on solid ground, I got on his back and pulled his arm back as far as I could without breaking it. He started making pained noises, flailing about in a sorry attempt to get me off of him.

 **"Stop flailing. You're making it worse. Think about what you're doing instead."**

He actually listened, pausing his movement for a moment. I tightened my grip on his arm, holding his other arm with my leg. Then, he began to roll, flipping himself over. Before he landed on me, I moved out of the way before getting back on top of him and wrapping my legs around his neck and squeezing hard, choking him out.

Finally, he tapped my leg, signalling for me to let go. I released him, allowing him to take a deep gasp of breath. He then collapsed on the ground, though he tried his damnedest to get up. Shifu thought for a moment, eventually approaching the panda and lifting his head up.

"You have surprised me, panda. I was certain that you were going to immediately be ripped to shreds. However, you were able to hold your own against Teivel, who even beat Tigress."

Tigress glanced at me, anger flashing in her eyes for a short moment, showing that she was still upset about her loss to me. Maybe I could make it up to her somehow.

"However, I'm certain that he was going easy on you, especially since he gave you advice. So, your next opponent will be Viper."

The snake perked her head up, nodding at Shifu and heading to spar Po. Viper was a kind soul, so I was certain she would go easy on him as well. At least I thought so.

Po got ready, standing low in a defensive position, taking my advice. Viper was ready as well, nodding her head toward Po and smiling.

"Whenever you are ready."

Po nodded back.

"Ready."

Po barely had time to finish the word before Viper struck at him, attempting to hit him low. Po sidestepped her attack and repositioned himself as she struck at him again, this time launching herself at his head. Po ducked, giving Viper the opportunity to get him while he was distracted. Surprisingly, Po reacted fast enough to grab her and toss her away.

Viper had a look of surprise, but continued onward. Po attempted to do the same thing again, but was tripped instead by Viper's tail, allowing the snake to constrict all of his limbs. It was clear that the match was over.

"Not bad. But you still developed a predictable pattern of attack. Try again, but against Mantis."

For the next two hours, I watched Po get his ass kicked by all members of the Furious Five and sometimes myself. By the end of it, I almost couldn't believe that he was alive. He refused to quit, even when I knew Shifu was trying to get him to. It was evident that he was still not fond of the panda, so I wouldn't doubt that he wanted the panda gone still.

After another unsurprising defeat, Po stood up slowly, bowing to Shifu and breathing heavily.

"I... will not quit... Master Shifu."

Shifu let out a huff, turning to Po.

"I can tell. Your determination is impressive. But as of now, you are not Dragon Warrior material. We will continue training later. For now, use your free time wisely."

Po looked relieved, as did the others. They were clearly tired of this repetitive process, as even though Po was improving, it wasn't enough to get him much closer to being a proper warrior. _I_ was indifferent, as I was likely going to be bored since I had nothing I could really do.

I supposed I could do a check over my equipment. Not that I didn't trust Tigress, but it was important to make sure all of your tools of destruction are operating at full capacity. While the others went their separate ways, I headed into the barracks. Upon entering Tigress's room, I did a quick check-up on my swords and gun, seeing they were still okay. My other equipment would need closer inspection.

The energy collector was not being used, so I turned it on and set it in the sun to gather energy. I also spotted my holo-phone on Tigress's bed, so I turned on the device to see that it was at...

One percent? Dammit Tigress.

I let out a sigh and plugged up the device to the solar energy collector, letting it charge. While I was at it, I plugged up my swords and gun to the collector, making sure they were able to be functional. I could see my mask also needed charging, and there were two more ports left for me to charge it with.

But what if someone saw my face? I didn't know what I looked like, and I wasn't sure if they'd find me hideous or not. I knew I looked like a human, as I was one, but I didn't know if I was a handsome one or not.

Fuck it. I was going to find out.

I took off my mask, plugging it in while grabbing a mirror I spotted nearby. I hesitated before looking, but I slowly turned to look at the handheld mirror.

Looking back at me was a pale face with crimson eyes and unkempt white hair. I knew this look was unnatural, the albinism likely a result of the process that turned me into a Wraith.

And fortunately, I _was_ handsome. Score one for me.

Setting down the mirror, I opened up the medical kit I had and went over its contents. It had everything I needed, such as bandages, pain medication, and needle-free stitches, so I shut it and moved on to the last item: my trusty Buck knife.

I felt that the edge of it was still sharp, as it always was, so I put it back into its sheath. With nothing else to really do, I let out a smoky sigh, watching the black vapors trail out of my mouth. It was oddly beautiful how majestic the pure black smoke danced through the air, slowly fading away in the air around it. It contrasted sharply with my pale skin, but fit in perfectly with my black gear that surrounded me.

Maybe it was some kind of metaphor I didn't understand quite yet.

I stood around, unsure what to do now that I had checked my gear. I just sat on Tigress's bed, alone with my thoughts. I still could not remember much from before I arrived here, and that was strangely not worrying. Though, I would really have liked to know. I knew I was an assassin, but I didn't remember the details. Something about my task just seemed... off.

My mask stared into my soul as I sat in silence, the blank expression of the skull seemingly judging my past actions I knew nothing about.

 _'Why would you do such a thing?'_ it demanded.

Silence.

 _'You're a monster both here and back home, you know.'_ it explained.

Still, there was silence.

It personified my actions. It was who I had become. Yet there it was, taunting me.

Who was I?

The empty eyes bored into me, and I couldn't take my eyes away. It beckoned to me. But it also taunted me. Its contradictory whispers felt intense and oddly nostalgic. The feeling was strange. Where was it coming from?

The intensity was starting to make me sick. With a bit of effort, I turned my head away from the mask, deciding that I should-

"Teivel, would you like to join us-" Tigress started, entering the room.

I quickly covered my face, the tiger having caught me by surprise. I was not used to the feeling of surprise, and this was not a good time to be caught surprised.

"... in the village?" she finished, confusion in her voice.

 **"Tigress, please let me get my mask."**

She was silent, and I started to become worried.

"What _are_ you?"

Damn. She had seen me.

Slowly, I lowered my arm and revealed myself, making Tigress's eyes go wide.

Might as well explain to her what humans were.

 **"Since you have already seen... I am a human. I am not from this place. I am not from this _world_. Where I am from, our technology is unlike anything you could imagine. And the world itself is... not anywhere as full of non-human life as this place is."**

She was awestruck, her eyes tracing over my unnatural features. I did not try to hide my face from her anymore, instead allowing her to look at me as she wished. She approached me slowly, getting a closer look. She started to reach her hand toward my face, but stopped herself.

"You do not look how I expected you to."

I chuckled, giving her a small smile.

 **"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"**

Tigress smiled and rolled her eyes, turning around and heading out the door.

"If you want to join us in the village, you may do so. The others are already in the Valley. We would be glad to have you."

I chuckled, grabbing my mask and weapons before getting up to follow her.

 **"Careful. That almost sounded friendly."**

She shook her head, chuckling lightly. As we made our way out of the barracks, I remembered something.

 **"What of the panda?"**

"What about him?" she replied, continuing out the door.

I shrugged, stretching as I walked.

 **"Should we bring him with us? We should probably try to make him feel _somewhat_ welcome. Otherwise, I fear he might try and off himself."**

Tigress stopped in her tracks, pondering what I said. Then, she looked to me with genuine concern in her eyes.

"Do you really think so? Has he mentioned doing such a thing?"

I shook my head, making her let out a sigh of relief.

 **"No, he hasn't said anything like that. But I still can tell he's kind of depressed. Shifu is hard on him, and he's taking it to the heart. The poor guy looks up to you all, and when you put him down, I can tell it hits him hard. Like, imagine if Shifu told you he wanted you to never come back to the Jade Palace."**

Tigress looked at me angrily.

"That would not be the same. Not at all."

 **"I understand, but it's the closest thing I could compare it to."**

Her angry look subsided, but she was definitely very deep in thought. We did not speak for a short while, but then I spotted the panda walking nearby, not seeing us.

 **"Po. Come here."**

The panda seemed startled and turned around slowly.

"Uh, hey. Whatever it is, it was already like that when I got there."

" **Wha-? I was going to ask you if you'd like to go down to the village with us."**

He rubbed the back of his head, smiling a fake smile.

"Right. Yeah, I'll join you guys. Maybe I can show you guys my dad's noodle shop!"

I nodded, smiling under my mask.

 **"I would like that. Come on. I'll take you down there."**

"Wait what-"

I grabbed the panda from where he stood and ran toward the edge of the cliff before jumping off, Tigress right behind me. The wind whistled around us, and I could hear the terrified yelps from Po. Spotting a good area to land, I angled myself toward the location, eventually landing as if I was completely weightless. Not a blade of grass was disturbed when I reached the bottom, though Po did not stop screaming.

 **"Hey. HEY! We've landed. You're fine."**

The panda opened his eyes, seeing that he was, in fact, alive and well. Tigress landed right next to us, sending up a light cloud of dust as she hit the ground. I let Po down and nodded to Tigress in acknowledgement.

 **"So where are the others at the moment?"** I asked.

"Presumably at the market." she answered.

 **"Then let's go find 'em."**

With that, we began our walk through through the village, passing through what I assumed was a residential area. There was a moderate amount of people on the road we traveled, many of them pausing to stare at me. I wasn't surprised, as I was not something they saw everyday. What did bother me was how some actually went out of their way to avoid me. Perhaps it was the skull mask and swords that were off-putting?

We made our way into what looked like a market and immediately started looking for the others. Being taller than all of the residents of the village, I could easily see over the crowd and spot our companions. Unfortunately, I did not see them in the crowd I was searching in.

"Help! Bandits!"

The cry came from the road to my right, where I spotted a pig running frantically. I stopped him with my arm, facing him.

 **"Where?"**

"Down that road! They have weapons!"

As soon as he finished his sentence, I dashed down the road, Tigress by my side. It didn't take long for me to spot the bandits, who were an assortment of wolves and felines. One of them turned around, spotting us and alerting their group. I stopped a few meters away from the bandits, my hands hovering over my swords.

One bandit held a bunny woman by her ears, shaking her and demanding money. With a scowl under my mask, I slid my blades out of their sheathes and activated their heated edges.

 **"Leave now, bandits. Not only do the Furious Five protect this Valley, but so do I. The fact that you even dared such a thing is either a result of courage or stupidity. I'm thinking the latter."**

One of the bandits laughed a hearty laugh, pointing his sword in my direction.

"You think you scare me? You have a mask and swords, but so does the common street thug. You mean nothing to me."

His mistake.

 **"Tigress, would you allow lethal force?"**

"Not at all."

What a shame.

I rapidly closed the distance between me and the bandit holding the rabbit. He didn't even register what happened before I had slammed my fist into the bottom of his jaw. His head was rocked back, instantly knocking him out and making him drop the rabbit. The bunny scampered away as the bandits finally realized what had happened.

One of the wolves tried to swing down on my head with a sword, only to have her arm grabbed and broken at the elbow by me. She howled in pain, their shrieks of agony not even considered as I slammed the canine into the ground. Her eyes flashed in surprise as I kneed her in the forehead, knocking her out. Rapidly, I grabbed a wolf bandit and slammed them into a wall hard enough to crack multiple bones audibly.

Five remained.

Grabbing the wrist of a feline bandit, I twisted his arm and snapped it hard. He screamed loudly before I swept his legs out from underneath him. As soon as he hit the ground, I lifted him back up and threw him into the next bandit. The bandits fell to the ground in a heap, allowing me to focus on another target. To my surprise, the one I was about to attack next was already pounded into the ground by Tigress. Picking another target instead, I grabbed a female feline and threw her into the air. I jumped above her and quickly kicked her down, making her strike the ground hard. The only one that remained was the leader.

The leader was suddenly much less confident about the whole operation. Tigress took down a bandit that tried to get up, so I could focus on the leader. He turned as if to run, but I wouldn't allow that. When he sprinted away, I caught him immediately and threw him toward Tigress, who juggled him in the air with a flurry of kicks. When the large bandit hit the ground, he wheezed out a pathetic noise and passed out.

As I turned around to address the crowd of people, I heard a shout of warning from Tigress.

"Look out!"

I turned just in time to see the female cat charge me with a knife. Acting on instinct, I grabbed the handle of my sword and prepared to slice open the foolish bandit when a large arm punched the bandit hard, making them fall backwards and drop their knife. Standing with his fist out was Po, who looked surprised at himself for actually punching the feline. Tigress was also looking at him incredulously.

As the panda stared at his own fist in bewilderment, the bandit quickly leapt up onto Po, biting his shoulder hard. Po let out a yell of pain, so I acted quickly. I was a bit disappointed he didn't finish the fight, instead getting ironically distracted by his own sudden competence.

Po shook himself, trying to get the bandit off of him. I quickly relieved him of the menace by grabbing one of her arms and snapping it at the wrist. She screamed out in extreme pain, allowing me to grab her by the throat and throw her onto the ground. When she tried to get up, I put my boot onto her head, slamming it down.

 **"Stop resisting. The Five might not be willing to kill you, but _I_ am."**

Hearing commotion behind me, I looked to see the rest of the Five standing around us, not interfering with what I was going to do. When the bandit finally stopped squirming, I hummed to myself as I considered what to do with her. I _could_ Brand her...

In fact, that was exactly what I would do.

I leaned down to Brand her, my hands giving off a black aura. Her eyes widened, but she couldn't move. Placing my hand on her chest, I held her in place as I Branded her with my mark, the image searing into her flesh. Releasing her, I let her leave.

 **"Take care of that wrist. Now leave, and do not return."**

She sat on shaking knees, touching the mark on her chest. Slowly, she stood up, beaten and tired. It was clear that she was just barely holding on. The bandit began to walk away at a slow pace, swaying as she walked. Turning to the others, their expressions were that of surprise.

Monkey was the first to speak up.

"What was _that_?"

Oh yeah. Only Tigress, perhaps Oogway, knew what I was.

 **"I branded her with my mark. It is an ability I have. It's to remind her of this moment forever. The mark never heals."**

I felt as though there was more to it, but I wasn't sure.

Monkey slowly nodded. The others just stared at me, as did the rest of the village.

"Do you have other powers?" Po asked, clamping a hand over his bite wound.

 **"Uh... they are a secret."**

Couldn't let anyone be prepared for such abilities. It would be better if I caught them by surprise.

"Come on-"

 **"No."**

Sighing, Po just continued to hold his wound, wincing in pain. I didn't want to leave him injured, so I decided to help him out.

 **"I'm going to go get my medical kit for Po really quick, so find a place to meet up at and I'll see you there."**

"Oh! We can go to my dad's noodle shop!"

 **"Sure thing. I'll see you there."**

With that, I immediately broke into a sprint, jumping onto the rooftops and making my way through the village. I arrived at the base of the mountain and leapt upward, Hieing the rest of the way up. I then made my way into the barracks and grabbed my medical kit. As I turned to leave, I spotted my phone and picked it up. Seeing it was already mostly charged, I took it with me and headed back. The sun was lowering a bit, casting an orange glow over the village. I ran across the rooftops in search of the Five and Po, eventually spotting them in front of some kind of shop sitting at a table.

This must have been the noodle shop.

I jumped down to meet them and landed silently, none of them noticing that I had arrived.

 **"Boo."**

Po jumped out of his chair, and crane was very startled by my sudden arrival. The others mostly looked slightly surprised. Without a word, I opened the med-kit and attended to Po's wound. I moved his hand/paw thing out of the way, cleaning the wound with a wet wipe before spraying it with disinfecting spray. This act garnered a few looks from those around us, but I continued anyway. After the wound was disinfected, I took a look at the wound to see that it wasn't too bad.

Shaking a can of wound sealant, I applied it to the open parts of his skin. Once that was done, I applied a bandage to the area and did another look-over.

 **"Alright. You're good."**

"Thanks. It was starting to itch. Now I can't even feel it."

 **"Modern medicine, baby."**

Now that he was patched up, I could relax. I took a seat next to Tigress and Viper, watching a goose with a goofy hat approach our table.

"Po! And the Furious Five! And... You! It's an honor to have you here."

I nodded toward him, offering my hand to shake his wing. He shook my hand, and I replied to his statement.

 **"Thank you for having us. Who might you be?"**

"Why, I'm Po's father. You may call me Mister Ping."

Father?

...Okay then. That wouldn't be the strangest thing I had experienced since I arrived here.

 **"Well you'll be glad to know that Po is now able to fight quite well. He still... needs work, but he is able to hold his own."**

"Really?" he asked, surprised. Then, his expression became one of slight arrogance. "I mean, of course! I am _very_ proud of him."

Me too, honestly.

 **"Anyway, I heard from Po that you made some pretty damn good noodles. So I suppose we would like to order."**

"Excellent. Come up to the counter."

We all did so, Po ordering first, followed by the rest of the Five. Finally, it was my turn. Then, I remembered I didn't actually have any money. Just as I turned to leave, Tigress handed a handful of coins over to me.

"Take this."

I smiled under my mask, holding the coins tight.

 **"Thank you, Tigress. I will be sure to pay you back."**

"No. There is no need."

 **"Dammit, Tigress, just let me pay you back later."**

She shook her head.

"If you try, I will not accept it."

 **"Oh you'll accept it alright."**

Tigress glared at me for a while, and I glared back. We continued to stare each other down for a while, not giving in.

"Either order something or get out of the way! People are waiting." Mister Ping shouted behind me.

Sighing, I turned around and faced Mister Ping.

 **"I'll have... whatever is most popular here."**

"Ah! My 'secret ingredient soup'!"

He poured a bowl of some kind of noodle soup full of vegetables, no meat to be found. I supposed it would be fine.

"Uh... how many of these coin-things will that cost?"

"The sign says it right-"

 **"I can't read your language. Only speak it. Just take however many it costs."** I said, placing the handful of coins down on the counter.

The goose was still for a moment, but then slowly grabbed a small number of coins and handed me the bowl of soup.

 **"Thank you."**

I took my bowl over to the table with Po and the Five, handing Tigress back her money-

"Keep it."

Dammit, Tigress.

I let out a sigh and took my spot between Tigress and Viper, the snake smiling at me. I nodded in acknowledgement before looking back down to my bowl of soup. Because I am apparently an idiot, I forgot one tiny problem.

I would have to take off my mask.

Everyone else realized this as well and turned to look at me, all curious to see what lay beneath. I slowly lifted my hand to my mask, unlatching it. As I did, it became harder and harder to continue. I did not want to show myself. I just couldn't. I knew it wouldn't mean anything here, but it was a part of me. That, and I was afraid that they would be afraid of what they saw. Tigress may not have been afraid, but she was the most stoic person I knew other than myself.

Though I had agreed to eat with the Five, I just couldn't bring myself to remove the mask. Instead, I latched my mask and let out a sigh.

 **"I... will go eat somewhere else. I just can't bring myself to show my face. Sorry."**

As I stood up to leave, Po stopped me.

"Wait! Why not?"

I didn't answer, instead taking my food to go somewhere else.

"Well, if you have to go, I can let you eat in my old room. That way you don't have to go far."

Smiling under my mask, I nodded to the panda.

 **"Thanks, Po. Where would that be?"**

"See that window?" he pointed. I followed his finger and spotted the window, nodding. "That's my room. It's a bit messy, but it will keep you out of sight."

With that, I leapt high into the open window, landing perfectly inside without spilling any soup. Taking in the surrounding area, I saw it was a bit messy like he said, but not too bad. Sitting on his bed, I took the chopsticks and spoon in one hand while I used my other hand to remove my mask. As soon as my mask was removed from my face I got to eating, using the chopsticks to bring the food to my mouth.

I felt as though I didn't need to eat, but it would be nice to just taste something. I blew on the hot noodles I had grabbed and brought them to my mouth. I then quickly shoved them into my mouth, processing what they tasted like. They were actually very good, but I couldn't tell what the secret ingredient was supposed to be. Maybe it was because of my amnesia, but while it was delicious, it didn't seem too special.

Oh well.

I quickly started to scarf the rest down when I noticed someone else climb into the window. Looking up, I saw that it was Tigress who had joined me.

"I thought that you might want some company while you ate. So, I came to join you. That's fine with you, right?"

 **"Yes, it's fine. Thank you."**

She smiled a small smile at me before taking a bite of her own food, swallowing and speaking again.

"Why do you not want them to see you?"

I let out a sigh, watching Tigress's eyes light up in surprise when the black vapor trailed out of my mouth.

 **"I am... worried they might be afraid of me. If you couldn't tell, humans aren't exactly a common sight around here."**

"No, they are not. But I need to know something. I thought that vapor came from your mask. Can... _all_ of your kind blow black smoke?"

I shrugged, taking another bite of my food.

 **"No, they can't. At least, I don't think so. I believe it is because I am a Wraith."**

She contemplated what I had said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"So what does that mean, exactly? To be a Wraith?"

Honestly, I didn't entirely know the answer to that. However, I _did_ have an idea of what I was.

 **"I am a human that has been... changed to suit the purposes of a clan of assassins. The Alsvartr Sunna Clan, or Black Sun Clan, was my clan. All Wraiths have powerful abilities that make them the perfect assassins. That is all I know."**

Tigress's eyes widened at the word "assassin", putting down her noodles and looking me in the eyes.

"Is that what you are? An _assassin_?"

 **"I believe so,** **yes."** I said, nodding.

Tigress shook her head, picking her noodles back up.

"That's nothing to be proud of. Assassins are the scum of the Earth."

To her surprise, I nodded in agreement.

 **"No doubt. But that was my past. I can be someone else here. I am free to do as I please."**

For a moment, Tigress thought about what I said before finally having something to say.

"If that is the case, then you still have my trust. But if you are to fully do away with that lifestyle, and to fully gain my trust, you must do away with the weapons and the killing."

Uh, yeah right.

 **"Sorry, stripes. _That_ is a no-can-do. I would much rather keep them around. And if someone has to be killed, I can do it quickly, efficiently, and without much mess."**

Tigress was clearly frustrated at my words, slapping her hand onto her leg in annoyance.

"That's what we're trying to _avoid_ doing. You just said that you would change your ways, yet you insist on being the same."

 **"No. The '** **old' me would kill any and all opposition without discretion. What I want to do is just have the option in case worst comes to worst."**

Tigress pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.

"If you say so. But killing is not something you should do just because it is the easier option. There is always another way."

We ate silently for a few long minutes, the air a bit tense from our disagreement. It was incredibly obvious that Tigress hated the idea of killing greatly, while I was completely okay with killing should the need arise. While I would try to avoid killing, I was still willing to do so.

I finished the last of my noodles, watching the small amount of broth left swirl in my bowl silently. Watching the spices and pepper flakes spin around in my bowl, I considered everything that had transpired since I had arrived. In one day, I had already killed a few bandits, and had beaten many others. I also wondered what happened to the bandit I had left tied to that tree.

Chances are, they were already in jail. But what if they weren't? What if they had gotten away? I doubted it, but it was a possibility.

"What are you thinking about, Teivel?"

I looked up at the tiger, staring into her amber eyes.

 **"I'm thinking about what has happened since I've been here. While I was in the village, I stopped some bandits from breaking into somewhere. One I let go, and another I tied to a tree. Do you know anything about what happened to him?"**

"I heard from the villagers that some guards found that bandit this morning. They also said that he was mumbling incoherently to himself, fearful that the 'demon' would return. What did you do?"

 **"Well, I Branded him. So far, that's done a number on the psyche of bandits."**

Tigress narrowed her eyes at me, gripping the table.

"You did something else too. Don't play dumb."

Damn. She was on to me. As much as I didn't want to tell her, I decided it would be better to just tell her the truth.

 **"They were originally with a group. That bandit and one other are the only ones to have survived."**

I could see in Tigress's eyes that she was furious at my words. Her hands squeezed the wooden table, threatening to crush the table into splinters.

"Killing is wrong. There is no reason to kill."

Uh, I think not, puss.

 **"That's not true at all. Sometimes they deserve it, and sometimes you have no other alternative."**

Tigress narrowed her eyes at me, but loosened her grip on the poor table.

"Of course there is. There's always an alternative."

 **"But that isn't true-"**

"We are respected Kung Fu masters throughout China. We will not have our image tainted by a _murderer._ "

 **"Ex-fucking-scuse me? I'm not a _murderer_. I'm a former assassin. I have standards. And I already said I would follow your stupid fucking rules. But even if I didn't, what the hell could _you_ do about it?"**

Rage flashed in Tigress's eyes, the tiger growling under her breath. However, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Teivel... remember that we are on the same side here. Do not treat me like a rival." Tigress said. "Please."

She was right. What was that all about? I don't know what made me so angry just then. Perhaps it's because she called me a murderer? Maybe. But why did it elicit such a strong reaction from me?

Tigress got up to leave, but I had something to say.

 **"Wait. I... I'm sorry. You're right."** I said, standing up and moving over to her. **"I don't know where that came from. I want to be your friend, Tigress. I would hate to lose the chance because of something stupid like this."**

Turning around, she looked into my eyes, not showing any emotions. Before she had any time to react, I wrapped my arms around the tiger woman, squeezing her tight. I heard Tigress trying to find something to say, but she ultimately came up with nothing.

 **"Do you forgive me?"**

Tigress didn't say anything at first, instead choosing to raise her own arms up and place them on my back.

"Of course."

That was what I wanted to hear. I pulled her even closer, though I made sure not to squeeze too tight. She laid her head down on my shoulder and let out a sigh. As I embraced her, I could feel her heart thumping rapidly paired with the rising and falling of her chest against mine. It was a strange feeling, but it was nice.

There was also another feeling. One that I didn't quite understand... What could it be?

Suddenly, I realized what it was.

I was content.

After a short while longer, Tigress let me go, and I did the same. She grabbed her bowl and turned to the window, looking back at me.

"We should get down there. We don't want to keep them waiting."

Nodding, I grabbed my bowl, put on my mask, and followed her out the window. I landed silently, gave my bowl to the goose who ran the place and turned to the Five and the panda. Po smiled at me, so I gave him a thumbs-up.

 **"Thanks for letting us use your room, Po. I appreciate it a lot."**

"Not a problem, dude. Any time."

With that, we all gathered our things and left after wishing Mister Ping a good day. There was still plenty of time in the day remaining, so we were going to find something to do. I suspected that the others would probably like to train since they wanted to be prepared for Tai Lung, but I supposed that I should just ask.

 **"So what's the plan at the moment?"**

"Well, I suppose that we could do some shopping and then get back to training. We can't spend too long in the village with Tai Lung being a threat."

I just didn't understand why we couldn't just kill him. It would be so easy.

 **"Alright then. Let's go."**

And so we did. After a very brief walk, we were in some kind of market area full of villagers going about their daily business. Smells of rich food wafted through the air, sound of laughter and shouting permeating the area. There was a large amount of commotion, and a good portion of it ceased when the villagers noticed us. Or more specifically, _me_.

While it was a bit odd, I had expected it and didn't really care too much about it. After all, what was I too expect from a place that has never seen something like me? My equipment was foreign, my mask was intimidating, and I showed up mysteriously out of nowhere before joining the Furious Five. Naturally, they would be curious.

Following the others, I spotted a shop that sold masks. While their quality was, in fact, quite excellent, they were nowhere near as well crafted as mine. Now, I don't mean to brag when I say that, but my mask was of much higher quality. Finely sculpted, perfectly painted, packed with advanced technology, and could save me from a rifle-caliber bullet, though I doubted anyone here had a rifle or even a gun at all.

Obviously, I knew how to make a useful mask. Still, I decided to check the masks out. Selling the masks was an old goat covered in small wood shavings, the goat currently chipping away at a mask that resembled a leopard. When I approached, he looked up at me, then stared at my own mask for a short while.

"Can I help you?"

 **"Just observing your work. You're obviously very skilled."**

He smiled, then pointed toward my mask.

"As is whoever made _your_ mask. The craftsmanship is amazing."

 **"Thank you. I made it myself."**

The mask-maker looked impressed, then motioned for me to come closer.

"Let me have a look at it. What is it made of?"

I moved closer, allowing him to see it easier.

 **"It's made out of... a concoction of materials. I don't quite remember."**

"That's fine. I'm just glad to see others who take pride in the art of mask making. What does your mask represent? A demon?"

In a way that's what it represented, but not really. It was just a skull. But because humans didn't exist here, I would have to just tell him it was a demon.

 **"Yes, it is. I based it off of the skulls of other animals."**

The goat thought for a while, considering what I said.

"That's pretty clever. I might consider doing that. In the meantime, I have a few other masks I have to finish. If you ever want to make some money, I would be very glad to have your skills in my shop. Have a nice day."

I nodded to the goat, making my way toward some other shops. There were blacksmiths, food vendors, fireworks, and much more. The Five had split up, each having their own interests in mind. Since Tigress was my closest friend at the moment, I supposed I would join her. Looking around, I spotted her walking relatively aimlessly. I made my way over to her, seeing her looking over the villagers, likely making sure nobody started trouble.

 **"Since I need nothing, nor want anything, I will wait with you."**

She nodded, keeping her eyes over at the crowd. We waited for a short while, and eventually the others came with whatever trinkets they bought for themselves, Po having brought food. Dumplings, to be exact. With everything we would have wanted purchased, we began to go up to the Jade Palace. The way back was relatively uneventful, though everyone seemed to enjoy the dumplings Po had bought. They promised to save me a few, as I didn't want to eat them at the moment.

Once we reached the top, I headed directly to the barracks. The others followed, each going into their respective rooms while I went into Tigress's. I sat on the floor next to my solar energy collector, checking my rifle to see it was still at full charge. Everything else was at full charge too, so I decided to just not bother with charging them. Well, everything but my phone.

Speaking of...

I opened up the device, seeing what Tigress spent her time doing. The first thing I checked was my photos, seeing a large number of photos that were essentially just Tigress making random faces. I even saw some where she was smiling, or making a kind of goofy face. She actually had a very nice smile, and was pretty cute in some of the photos. I smiled as I viewed the images, scrolling up to see many, many pictures of-

Wait.

At a certain point, the photos were not of Tigress, but of random people. Photos taken before I arrived here. The photos were a bit random but I think I knew what they were.

They were likely images of past targets.

They couldn't have been pictures of friends, as they all looked like some kind of authority figure. And there were very many pictures of targets. If I had managed to eliminate each one...

I didn't want to think about it.

Scrolling back down, I-

"Don't look at those!" Tigress shouted, trying to grab the phone away from me.

Keeping the phone away from her, I let out a sigh.

 **"I've already seen them, Tigress. Nothing to freak out about."**

She still looked upset, but she quit trying to take the phone away.

"Fine. It's just... embarrassing."

I understood, but it's not like she has to worry about what I think. I couldn't care less how she entertained herself, as long as it didn't hurt anything of mine. Though, it was strange to see someone like Tigress having what some would call "childish fun".

Whatever. Even _I_ have my own immature moments.

Exiting the photos, I went to my other apps, seeing they were mostly untouched, the music app being the one exception. It seemed she had gone through whatever music I had on the device. A selection screen hovered in the air, the slightly blue-tinted hologram showing a relatively long list of songs I didn't remember. Well, I remembered a few, but the rest were completely forgotten. Wanting to jog my memory a bit, I selected one of the songs.

It started off with a low-toned guitar riff, accompanied by a mans shouts.

 _"~I believe_ _them bones are me~"_

The tune was catchy, and I could see why I had liked the song. Tigress, on the other hand, was not as much of a fan.

"Most of that 'music' of yours is just senseless noise. I don't know how you can stand it, much less enjoy it."

 **"You just aren't used to it, probably. I don't remember this song, but I can tell why I liked it. You have to look deeper into it. The vocals are good, and the instruments, while a bit aggressive, are melodic. It's not senseless. Just not what you're used to."**

Somehow, I felt like I've said that exact sentence before.

"But compare that to the music here. Is it not melodic?"

 **"It's just... boring to me, I suppose. _This_ , on the other hand, gets me pumped."**

She just rolled her eyes, presumably tuning out my music. As the song ended, I selected another, this one being immediately much heavier. I could tell that Tigress would loathe the song, so I quickly bookmarked the song for later, seeing the bookmark symbol pop up on the holographic image.

The song I played after had more synth elements to it, and very clearly came from a different era, most likely being more modern. While it was mostly synth, it was still just as aggressive as the other songs.

Letting out a sigh, I closed out of the music application, assuming I had nothing Tigress would like at all.

"Finally. Now, I plan on meditating for a while. If you could, keep quiet for me please."

As if I was ever noisy anyway. I decided to abide by her wishes, keeping silent as she meditated. I didn't see the point of such a ridiculous act, but to each their own. I didn't much have the patience to just wait around, but I knew I easily could if I really wanted to. However, being productive was a much better idea. As much as I knew I didn't really need to check my equipment, it never hurt to be 200% certain.

I set my rifle on the ground, taking it apart and viewing its contents. As complicated as it was, the weapon was surprisingly simple to keep up with and figure out. The barrel was removable, as were all of the attachments. Popping open the weapon by pulling out a pin, I looked closely at the power cell, seeing it in good condition. Next to it was the heat sink, which was a bit large, but necessary.

With the power cell and heat sink in good condition, I checked the focusing chamber where the laser was concentrated. After confirming it had no cracks, I set it aside carefully, moving on to the last thing that needed attention. The final part of the gun was the computer in the device. It was simple, but it did quite a bit. For example, it counted approximately how many rounds were left in the weapon, and showed where I was aiming.

Once I confirmed everything was okay, I put it back together in less than a minute, checking on Tigress. Seeing that she was still meditating, I tried to figure out what else to do. Maybe...

Pulling out my phone, I decided to try out the internet. Aaaaaand...

Nothing.

Oh well. Might as well check. Even if you know the answer. After all, it's not like I had anything better to do at the moment. In fact, I was actually quite bored. I couldn't think of anything to do whatsoever. I could go train, but it wouldn't really do anything. I'd already checked my equipment as well.

Maybe my phone had other features. Scrolling though it some more, I found I actually had a few games on there. Opening one, I was greeted with a holographic ship floating around. On the screen itself were controls for the ship, the main menu requiring me to fly the little ship toward the option I wanted to select.

Interesting.

As I started the game, Tigress made her way over to me, waving her hand through the holographic ship.

"What is this? This flying... thing."

I went through the short tutorial for the game as I answered, not bothering to look at her, as my focus was on the game.

 **"The flying thing is an aircraft. Well, it's technically a spacecraft, but whatever. It's used to transport my people through the air or just fly around doing other tasks. Pretty neat, eh?"**

"Yes, it is..."

I saw little blue ships flying toward my little red one, so I assumed they were enemies. So, I pressed the fire button and destroyed a few, being granted points. Turns out I was correct. I flew the little ship over the enemy ships before dive-bombing them, having a surprising amount of fun.

Maybe the hologram feature wasn't gimmicky after all.

Tigress sat next to me as I played, looking incredibly intrigued by the game. After a few waves of the little blue bastards, I was greeted with a flashing message saying "Boss Fight". After the message disappeared, a larger ship appeared from the edge of the screen, a large health bar accompanying it. When I fired at it, a small bit of the health bar turned red, indicating I did damage.

After a good few minutes, and after sustaining damage to my own ship, I finally beat the boss. Once it was down, I was shown an upgrade menu. With my points, I made my ship lasers stronger. Then, I exited the game, ready to see what else there was to do. I decided to let my phone charge for a while, leaving Tigress's room to find something more productive to do.

 **"Go ahead and use my phone if you want. I'm going to find something else to do."**

The tiger stood up, following me.

"I should probably go to the bath house to wash up. You should do the same."

 **"What's that supposed to mean?"**

"It means that bathing is what you are supposed to do. Every day."

Oh yeah... But I'm, like, a ghost. Does that apply to me?

Maybe it would be best to do it anyway.

 **"Yeah... you're right. I'll join you I guess."**

She froze for a moment, an embarrassed look adorning her features.

"...Join me?"

I nodded, walking out of the barracks.

 **"That's what I said, yes. Why?"**

She looked around, taking the lead.

"I think you know."

Not really.

After my look of confusion, she grew frustrated.

"As if I am supposed to believe your intentions are innocent."

What?

"You're wrong to think I would just expose my body for your viewing."

Oh.

 _Oh._

 **"Tigress... you do realize that you're, like, a _tiger_ , right? And I'm _not_? Not into that kinda thing."**

"Then why can't you wait?"

 **"Because waiting would be wasting time."**

Well, I also had another reason.

 **"I also have something I kinda want to have looked at. I want to know your opinion on it."**

Her look was one of disgust, then immediately anger.

Wait, shit.

 **"An injury! I want to have an injury looked at! I need you to tell me what you think is going on with it.** **"**

She was still for a moment, then regained her composure, taking a deep breath before nodding. She led me to a medium-sized building with steam seeping through slits near the top. Why the water was that warm when nobody was using it was a mystery to me, but it wasn't my problem. Entering, I felt the warm steam through my cloak and sides of my face.

In the middle of the building was a large pool of water, steam rising off of the water. Over to the sides were benches and tables, towels covering some of the tables. Making my way over to one of the empty tables, I began to strip down, taking my mask off first and setting it down, removing my cloak next. On the other side of the room, Tigress hesitated for a while before slowly removing her own clothing.

Once my cloak was off, I removed my boots and set them on the bench. Finally, I removed my shirt and pants. Now fully naked, I looked down at my chest wound, seeing it had neither opened up nor closed up. I also saw my lean, yet muscular, body was just as pale as my face, and had many scars.

Turning around, I got into the water quickly, seeing Tigress trying to keep as much of herself hidden from view as possible. I wasn't sure why she was so shy about it. I was very clearly not interested in her naked form, and I was mostly concerned with my gaping chest wound.

Tigress finally got into the water, not looking up at me as she submerged herself completely. I watched a wisp of smoke spill out from my wound, not getting too good of a look at the wound itself in the relatively low lighting of the bath house.

After a while, Tigress resurfaced somewhat near me, her wet fur clinging close to her body. Finally looking at the woman, I could see that she definitely had human... features.

 **"Tigress, if you could come here for a moment."**

She hesitated, but slowly moved closer. She did not look at me, so she obviously did not see the concerning cavity in the center of my chest.

"What is it that- WHAT IN THE...!?"

Tigress's eyes were locked onto my chest wound, not removing her eyes from it.

"How are you _alive_?"

 **"That's the thing. I'm not sure if I even am. I don't know where it came from, and I haven't needed to breathe at all. I also can't get tired. So... I might be a ghost or something."**

Tigress looked up at my face, absolutely shocked.

"You're... a ghost?"

I shrugged. I wasn't totally sure yet.

 **"Maybe. Anyway, I want to know what you think I should do about it."**

She thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.

"Just... keep it protected. I'm not sure what would happen if it were damaged further."

Nodding, I looked around for some kind of soap to use, splashing my hair with water as I searched. Spotting a bar of what was presumably soap, I Rifted over to the soap, hearing a startled yelp from Tigress.

"You can... how did you...?"

Looks like she was going to be learning a lot about me. Getting back into the water, I began to scrub my white hair with the soap, explaining to Tigress my powers as I did. Rinsing off my hair, I passed the bar over to Tigress.

"So you have all of those abilities, and all you lose from using them is a small amount of energy?"

I nodded, leaning back in the water. I closed my eyes, feeling steam on my bare skin.

 **"Yeah. I just... do it. It's basically like how it would feel for you to jump really high. Not exactly difficult, but still needs you to exert energy."**

She seemed satisfied by the answer, as she didn't ask any other questions about it. Then, after a moment of silence, she asked another question.

"How is water not getting in your wound?"

Looking down, I noticed that water actually was getting in it, but I didn't want to concern her, so I just shrugged.

I allowed myself to sink deep into the water, until I was practically submerged. Then, I completely submerged myself into the water, finding that the water was deeper toward the middle. I propelled myself through the water, swimming with expert skill as I enjoyed the fact that I didn't need to breathe.

I did this for a while, before just sinking to the bottom to lie down. The water made me feel comfortable, and allowed me to think. I was probably in the water for about five minutes, feeling calmness washing over me completely.

Problem was, I think Tigress forgot I didn't need to breathe.

Tigress dived into the water, grabbing me and pulling me out of the water. Once I was on the previously-dry floor, she immediately started trying to resuscitate me. Before she could, I grabbed her by the shoulder, startling her.

 **"Tigress! Calm down! I'm fine. I don't need to breathe in order to survive, remember? I _literally_ can't drown."**

Her look was one of disapproval as she looked down at me, shaking her head slowly.

"Well don't scare me like that."

 **"Well aren't you sweet. You _do_ care!"**

She just rolled her eyes, standing up and walking to the towels and drying herself off. I did the same, only needing to dry my hair really. As I did, I considered the idea of swimming in one of the rivers in the Valley as a way to pass the time. I would have to figure out a way to not get in trouble for public indecency though, as I didn't want to get my clothes wet.

In my musings, I noticed Tigress was fixated on something. Following her eyes, I tried to figure out what she was looking at when she suddenly turned away, acting like she had not been looking at anything.

"I... I didn't mean to stare. It's just... it was... I..." she tried to speak, fumbling over her sentence.

Okay, so I at least know she was staring at me. But she couldn't have been looking at my wound, so what could it...

Oh.

 **"Uh... Okay then. Not a big deal. Totally understand."**

"It's just that I have... never actually seen one before, and I couldn't help but look. I was just curious, and..." she trailed off.

I just chuckled to myself.

 **"And you were worried that _I_ would be staring at _you_."**

"I said I was sorry."

 **"No, you didn't. But whatever."**

She huffed, grabbing her clothes and putting them on. I did the same, quickly getting the items of clothing on with practiced ease. When I finally put on the cloak, however, I felt something odd. Reaching into the side of the cloak, I felt something. Pulling it out, I saw it was a ballistic pistol. Along with it were about three extra twelve-round magazines.

How had I not felt them before now? Was I stupid or something? Perhaps I was just used to the feeling of them being there and didn't consider it.

Yeah, I'll go with that.

I pulled out the weapon, looking it over. It was completely silver and loaded with 9mm. It also seemed to be quite old, but I did not know quite when it was made. Tigress looked over at me, tilting her head as she observed the weapon.

"What is that?" she asked, grabbing her shirt.

 **"A 9 millimeter pistol."**

She raised her eyebrow, not understanding what I had just said.

 **"It's a weapon that uses an explosion to propel a metal projectile toward a target. Want to have it?"**

"Why would I want something like that?"

I shrugged, putting it back into my cloak. I waited for Tigress to get her shirt on before heading outside with her, making my way back to the barracks. It was starting to become dark, though I still felt no tiredness. However, I suspected Tigress would like to rest. So, I would allow her to do so by not bothering her. We reached the barracks when we spotted Po, who smiled widely upon seeing us.

"Hey, guys! I'm making dinner if you want some. I'm making soup."

"Didn't we already eat not too long ago?" Tigress asked.

Po shrugged, continuing on his way.

"Yeah, but it can't hurt to have something else. Besides, that was, like, hours ago."

Sighing, Tigress followed him to where he was headed, that place being some kind of kitchen/dining room. Inside were the rest of the Five, already seated at a table. Tigress took a seat at the table as well, while I chose to stand by her. Po was busy putting ingredients in a pot of noodles, talking about some story about a "lousy tipper". Personally, I found it a bit boring, but then again I didn't have any real stories to tell either.

Po served the bowls of soup, Tigress choosing to eat a plate of tofu she had prepared herself. The Five ate the soup, each one being surprised at the quality.

"This is amazing!" Viper exclaimed. "This is probably just as good, no, _better_ than your Father's soup! You're a great cook!"

The rest of the Five, excluding Tigress, shared this opinion, the panda brushing off the compliments.

"Nah, you guys are just saying that. I don't even know the secret ingredient." he said, sipping from his bowl.

Suddenly, Shifu appeared in the doorway, a panicked look on his face and Oogway's staff in hand.

"Tai Lung has escaped from prison! He is on his way here now."

Po spit out whatever he had in his mouth back into his bowl, standing up rapidly.

"What?"

The Furious Five all stood up as well, Tigress approaching Shifu.

"Then let us stop him. It's what you trained us for."

"No!" Shifu shouted, pointing at Po. "It is his destiny to stop Tai Lung."

Po gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oogway can stop him! He did last time."

"Oogway cannot stop him!" Shifu shouted, looking down at the staff. "Not anymore."

The Five gasped, and I stood stunned. He had... died?

"That is why it is your destiny to-... Where did he go?"

Shifu shook his head and sighed before rushing off to go find where Po had run off to. Meanwhile, the others headed off in different directions. I headed outside, watching Po and Shifu from a distance. Spotting Tigress on the roof, I Rifted behind her.

 **"What're you doing up here?"**

Tigress was startled, turning around rapidly in a combat stance. When she saw it was just me, she stood down.

"I am going to stop Tai Lung. Do not try and stop me."

Before she could head off, I grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her in place.

 **"Tigress, that isn't a good idea. Don't try and do something stupid."**

Tigress pushed me away from her, turning her back on me.

"You cannot stop me. I will face him. Do not take this from me."

Sighing, I pat her on the shoulder.

 **"Then at least come home safe. You're my only friend, Tigress. I would hate to lose you."**

Surprisingly, she smiled at me, nodding.

"Of course. I will see you again soon. I promise." she said before leaping off the ledge of the cliff.

As I turned to head back into the barracks, I spotted something move quickly across the sky. Quietly, I made my way to where the thing went, making myself as invisible as possible. Upon approaching a treeline, I noticed a masked figure perched upon a tree branch holding... binoculars? The figure also carried two swords on their back, as well as...

A _gun._

This person was a fucking human.

Suddenly, the figure turned my direction, so I Rifted closer to them, staying out of their line of sight. Silently, I drew a sword and approached the tree they stood on. Then, I leapt up rapidly, tackling the figure and holding a sword against their neck. They wore a cloak, and had a maroon mask on their face that looked like a demon with small horns, much like an oni demon.

 **"Who are you? What are you doing here?"**

The figure did not fight against me, instead staying frozen in place.

Then, they spoke in a rough, masculine voice.

 **"...Reaper?"**

Confused, I pressed the sword against his neck harder.

 **"What? Is that an answer? Because it sure sounded like a question to me."**

 **"You're supposed to be dead!"**

Well... I already knew that.

 **"I know that. The gaping hole in my chest gives that away. Now, answer me."**

He was silent for a moment, but eventually spoke again.

 **"What all do you want to know?"**

 **"I want to know who you are, what you want, and how you got here."**

He chuckled, disappearing out from underneath me with a cloud of black smoke.

A Wraith? Well this should be interesting.

Turning around, I saw him sitting on the end of the branch, a leg dangling off the edge. In the distance, I could see the rest of the Furious Five following Tigress to battle Tai Lung.

 **"If you insist. First off, my name is Daniel Morris. Friends call me D. Codename is Deimos. It's a shame you didn't recognize me. We used to work together. How I got here is a bit of interdimensional tech. Fancy new stuff from the new Wraith Unit. I'm sure you just _love_ those guys. Especially after... Y'know."**

New Wraith Unit? What the hell was this guy talking about?

 **"Wraith Unit?"**

He glanced up, nodding his head.

 **"Remember? Gen Four Wraiths."**

The more he answered my questions, the more questions I had.

 **"Anyway, all I want is to survey the area. Military contractor sent me to find out whether this dimension was safe to travel to. And, of course, to mine resources from. If it's what they're looking for, they'll be sending the Gen Fours with me to secure it."**

The man took off his mask, revealing a pale face and red eyes like I had, a small amount of white stubble across his features. He was quite young, likely around my age, and had just as many scars. He pulled a small box from the pocket of his cloak, pulling out a small stick before lighting it with a lighter, puffing away at the stick. He offered the box over to me, shaking it.

 **"Want a cig?"** he asked, and I put my hand up in response. **"Suit yourself."**

He blew out the grey smoke from his mouth, watching the Valley below.

 **"Well, obviously this place is safe to travel to. But I feel like it's fucked up to use these creatures' land for mining n' stuff. Not that I really have a say in what they do."**

 **"Who are 'they'?"**

Daniel chuckled, raising an eyebrow at me.

 **"Show me your face, Reaper. I need to see if it's really you."**

I sighed, the black smoke blowing out from the sides of my mask, making Daniel give a look of confusion. I obliged, pulling the mask off of my face but leaving my hood up.

 **"Holy shit. It really _is_ you. How are you... here?"**

 **"I wish I could tell you. And why do you keep calling me that? Is that what people called me?"**

He took a long drag off of his cigarette, the smoke blowing out of his nose.

 **"Man, your memory is pretty fucked isn't it? Yeah, it's what they called you. Before... Do you even know?"**

 **"Know what?"**

 **"...How you died."**

He knew?

 **"Tell me how I died. I need to know."**

He smiled, putting his cigarette out on the tree branch.

 **"Okay. I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything. First off, what _do_ you know?"**

 **"I know I'm a dead Wraith from the Black Sun Clan. I was an assassin, and a damn good one. That's all."**

He chuckled again, nodding his head.

 **"Damn right you were good. Some say even the best. Now, you weren't the most experienced, but you were definitely the most naturally skilled. Problem is, you were a mean S.O.B. and didn't like the direction the Wraiths were going. The Black Sun Clan was the only clan that was willing to work with the government. They fought corruption, carried strict morals, and a whole bunch of other 'good guy' stuff."**

He laid back, a melancholy look spreading across his features.

 **"Thing is, the other clans didn't always adhere to such a code. They were more independent. They were also considered a danger to the plans of the new Wraith Unit. So... they had the other clans exterminated. And when the Black Sun Clan opposed this, they were forced into submission by the Gen Fours."**

Daniel shook his head slowly before looking off in the distance.

 **"Sucks, right? Well... They contacted me to help do the exterminating. I was independent. I also had a knack for hunting other Wraiths, as I had killed rogue Wraiths before. I took a platoon of Gen Fours and took out the other clans. Then... I had to take out _you._ "**

I couldn't believe it. I was looking directly at my killer, who sat there as if we were simply discussing the weather.

 **"Yep. It was me. Not that I really wanted to. I had a contract, and you were killing Gen Fours left and right. You hated them for what they were. Cheaply created soldiers made for military use with weak power but extreme loyalty. Glorified fodder. Yet they were made to replace us as a more acceptable face of the Wraith program. They don't even _look_ like us. They're... physically _normal_."**

It was so much information to take in. I almost had trouble keeping up.

 **"Taking you out was no easy task. I caught you by surprise. I had to trick you into thinking I came on friendly terms, then I... shot you right in the chest. Thing is, you Rifted right as I shot you. After that... I never saw you again."**

Well, now I know.

 **"The Gen Ones, the small group of guys who discovered the power that creates Wraiths, are still around. They _hate_ the Gen Fours, but they are allowed to continue their religious practices. I say they're just fanatics, but what do I know? Gen Twos... Complete failures, in case you forgot. First attempt at creating artificial Wraiths, and all the subjects were killed from exposure to the power. Completely disintegrated."**

He turned back to me, standing up.

 **"And of course, there's us. The Gen Threes. Powerful, independent, and nearly all gone."**

With a quiet sigh, he turned around, ready to leave.

 **"That's everything, Reaper. Sorry about... killin' you and stuff. If it means anything, I'm truly sorry. Believe me when I say I wish none of that ever happened. I didn't know what a mistake it was to take that contract yet. I guess I'll see you around, Reaper."**

With that, he Rifted away with a cloud of black smoke.

He may have explained everything to me, but I still wanted to know more. What were the "Gen Ones" worshiping? How did they just "discover" the powers that created Wraiths? What was the "Wraith Unit" really planning? Why were we "artificial" Wraiths? What were natural ones supposed to be?

I needed to clear my head. However, as I looked around, I looked in the direction Tigress headed off to. I really hoped that she would be okay. I should have gone with her, but she seemed so eager to battle Tai Lung. With the rest of the Five, she would probably be fine. After all, Tai Lung was just one guy. They were five masters.

How could they lose?

Deciding not to worry too much, I headed into the barracks. Once I was in Tigress's room, I sat down on the floor next to my energy collector and hooked up my gear before closing my eyes and relaxing. Or at least I tried to. For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad would happen soon.

And it had nothing to do with Tai Lung.

* * *

Hours had passed while I sat with my own thoughts, and I had finally managed to clear my mind. So, I got up and headed outside to the steps of the Jade Palace when I saw the Five on the ground in front of Shifu and Po. The only one that could move was Crane.

I rushed over to them, kneeling down and looking over at Shifu.

 **"What's wrong with them?"** I asked.

Shifu touched Monkey on specific sections of his body, causing the primate to become reanimated.

"He's too fast!" Monkey stated, getting up off the floor while Shifu reanimated the others.

Tigress held a look of shame on her face, not meeting Shifu's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Master. We have failed you."

Before Tigress could get up completely, I grabbed her in a tight hug, barely suppressing my rage.

 **"He wanted to send a message by letting you come back alive. He probably could have _killed_ you if he wanted."**

Letting her go, she looked at me with a sad look in her eyes.

"I underestimated him, and paid the price. I should have listened to you."

Shifu turned around upon hearing this, looking me in the eyes of my mask.

"You _knew_ they had left?" he asked angrily.

 **"Yeah, I knew. There were five of them against one guy. I didn't think he would beat all of them."**

"But he did, and they could have been killed. You said it yourself!"

I stood up, clenching my fist in rage.

 **"Don't you _dare_ try to act like it's _my_ fucking fault. _You_ are the one who wanted your monster of a 'son' to live, rather than letting me end him. This is _your_ fault. What if he _had_ killed them? Then what? Do you not care about Tigress, who you raised just the same as that _freak_?"**

Shifu did not speak, standing silently with a look of anger almost equal to mine.

"Teivel..." Tigress said, holding my arm back.

I looked down, only to be shocked that my hand had instinctively grabbed the handle of one of my swords. Letting the weapon go, I gave myself time to calm down.

 **"Sorry. I just... I worry about them. About everyone."**

Shifu took a deep breath, his expression becoming one of understanding.

"I understand. You're right to care about them. And you're right that I let my personal feelings put all others at risk. But Tai Lung will be here soon. When he arrives, you will need to have a plan to evacuate the village.

Over one guy?

"I have been training the panda, and I believe he is nearly ready to face Tai Lung. But, he will need the Dragon Scroll. Students, I will need you to evacuate the Valley. Teivel... I have no command over you, but please, do what you can to help."

I did not argue, instead nodding my head and chuckling.

 **"Sure thing, Shifu. Now, let's see what this 'Dragon Scroll' is all about."**

We followed Shifu to the Moon Pool where the Dragon Scroll resided above, clutched in the golden jaws of the dragon statue. I looked up at the scroll, seeing how high up it was. Before I could offer to grab it, however, Shifu began twirling his staff, blowing petals into the air in a spectacular display, one of the petals landing on the scroll.

The scroll slowly slid from its place, eventually falling completely out only to be caught by Shifu. Shifu watched the scroll with reverence as he held it out to Po.

"Behold! The Dragon Scroll! It is yours." Shifu announced.

"Whoa... what happens when I read it?" Po asked.

"No one knows, but legend says you will be able to hear a butterfly's wing beat."

Bullshit, but whatever.

"Whoa, really? That's cool."

"Yes. And see light in the deepest cave. You will feel the universe in motion around you."

More bullshit, but okay.

 **"How about we just read it already? We're running on short time as is."**

Shifu nodded, handing the scroll over to Po.

"Read the scroll, Po, and become... the Dragon Warrior."

Po attempted to open the scroll, but had difficulty. To save him the embarrassment, I took it from it and popped off the cap. He thanked me quietly, and slid out the scroll. The Five looked on in anticipation as Po began to open the scroll. I could see a golden glow across his face as he opened it. He dramatically made a big deal out of it, making large amount of noise as he was presumably overwhelmed. Could it really hold such power?

I looked over his shoulder at the scroll as he opened it to see that it was-

 **"What the _fuck?_ "**

"It's blank!" Po exclaimed.

 **"You dramatic ass-face! You put on a show for nothing."**

Shifu was in pure disbelief.

"Blank? That cannot be."

Po showed the scroll to Shifu, who looked away.

"No! I am forbidden to look upon..."

He then snatched the scroll from Po, gazing upon the blank golden scroll.

"I... don't understand." Shifu whispered.

 **"What now?"**

Po sat down, a defeated look in his eyes.

"I knew it. Oogway picked me by accident. I'm no Dragon Warrior."

"Then who will stop Tai Lung?" Viper asked.

"He'll destroy everything, and everyone!" Crane exclaimed.

Shifu turned around, an assured look on his face.

"No. Evacuate the valley. You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage.

"What about _you_ , master?" Tigress asked.

"I will stay here and hold him off long enough for everyone to escape."

 **"What if he kills you?"**

"Then I will have finally paid for my mistake. Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey without me. I am very proud to have been your master. And Teivel... thank you."

 **"What for?"**

"For helping with Po's training, and for helping us in our most desperate hours."

Though the action went unnoticed, I smiled under my mask as Shifu bowed to his students, who bowed back. The Five turned to leave, and I followed, dragging Po with us. As we headed to leave, I couldn't help but look back at Shifu. It felt wrong to leave him, but he had ordered us to. Though he wasn't _my_ master, I listened to him and respected him.

We quickly made our way down to the Valley. Tigress immediately ordered the Five to do different tasks to safely evacuate the villagers. It seemed word had gotten out that Tai Lung was coming, as many villagers were already in a panic. I went with Tigress to help guide the villagers out of the valley, taking the lead of a group of panicking villagers. Then, a thought occurred to me.

 **"Why aren't some of us helping Shifu stop Tai Lung? It doesn't take seven of us to evacuate villagers."**

"Shifu told us to evacuate the village. Besides, we can't stop him."

 **"Of course we can. We will not only have all of you, but Shifu and I will be there as well. If he can take all of us, then there will be no stopping him anyway."**

Tigress opened her mouth to argue, but did not say anything. We continued to usher the villagers to safety in silence. As we herded the villagers, I spotted Po with his "father", and I decided to see what Po was up to.

"For something to be special, you just have to _believe_ it's special." Mr. Ping said to Po, who pulled out the Dragon Scroll.

A look of realization came across Po's face as he looked at the useless blank scroll.

"There is no secret ingredient!"

Immediately, the panda said his goodbyes to his father and rushed back to the Jade Palace. I looked up at the Jade Palace with a large amount of concern, worrying for Shifu's safety.

I approached Tigress, who was carrying a villager's cart and pointed to the Jade Palace.

 **"Po is going to the Jade Palace. I cannot let him go alone. Come with me if you wish."**

With that, I Rifted to the doors of the Jade Palace, seeing Shifu standing alone. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky as a figure rapidly made its way up the steps. The figure was then face to face with Shifu, said figure being a male snow leopard.

This must have been Tai Lung.

"I have returned home, my master." he said.

"I am not your master, and this is no longer your home." Shifu responded.

 **"And you will stop your quest for power now, or else you face _death_." **I shouted from behind Shifu, raising my rifle at the snow leopard.

Shifu turned to me, a look of surprise and anger on his face.

"Teivel? I told you to evacuate the village."

I chuckled, keeping my rifle aimed at Tai Lung.

 **"I'm my own master, Shifu. I'll do as I please. So I'm gonna help you dammit."**

Tai Lung looked up at me, smiling widely.

"This must be the legendary Dragon Warrior! Let's see if you truly deserve the title you stole from me!"

 **"I'm not the Dragon Warrior. I don't need some worthless title _or_ some stupid scroll."  
**

Tai Lung scowled pointing at me with an accusing finger.

"That scroll is the key to ultimate power. If you were wise, you would understand that."

 **"And if you would listen, you would know that the scroll is actually worthless. Completely blank."**

Tai Lung clenched his fists, his legs preparing to jump.

"LIAR!"

Before he could jump. however, I Rifted behind him and slammed my knee into his back as hard as I could, sending the leopard flying. I jumped after him and grabbed his legs, tossing him into the ground. He immediately retaliated, jumping at me with both fists out. Once again, I Rifted behind him and grabbed his tail, slamming him onto the ground hard enough to crack it.

Shifu stood in awe, most likely surprised at my powers. As Tai Lung attempted to stand back up, I punched him in the gut hard enough to send him into the air and hit him on the back of the head hard, causing his skull to bounce off of the stone floor.

I held my rifle at his head, as he got up on his knees, sticking my gun's barrel right against his skull. Before I could finish him, however, I felt something hit me right in my chest wound. Looking down, I saw he had struck me with two fingers. It had no effect at first, so I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down.

Then, I felt a strange sensation come over me. I couldn't feel anything. My body felt empty. Tai Lung's look became one of shock suddenly as I saw wisps of black smoke rising up.

That's when I noticed my body fading away, my entire body disappearing in a cloud of smoke until all I could see was blackness.

* * *

Silence.

That was all I heard as my body once again threatened to rip itself apart. But this time, it was different. The feeling was much stronger this time. I could hardly think straight as the darkness overwhelmed me.

I was back in that void, and I knew that there was not much time for me to get out of there. Looking at my hand through the darkness, I could see it vibrating in and out of existence.

I needed to get out.

Now.

I tried Rifting out, but that only escalated my pain. But I couldn't let that stop me. Focusing, I tried to Rift to the Jade Palace. The pain was immense, and I almost gave up when I saw the bright flash of light again. I was rapidly pulled toward it, and I could feel the strain on my body grow tenfold. I felt my consciousness fading away when the light enveloped me completely.

Then... There was nothing.

That is, until I opened my eyes to see a heavily damaged Jade Palace with the sounds of an ongoing battle in the distance. Realizing I was on the floor, I stood up only to stumble forward and onto my knees. My energy was almost completely drained, and my body ached.

But I wasn't going to give up. I pushed myself up, practically dragging myself to the edge of the cliff. Leaning forward, I let myself fall to the ground, landing without further injury. In the far distance, I could see the villagers escaping the Valley. What really caught my attention, however, was the panda engaged in combat with the snow leopard. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Po holding his own against the enemy that had bested so many.

He really could be the Dragon Warrior...

But when Tai Lung suddenly launched Po into the air and slammed him down hard enough to create a crater, I suddenly felt a burst of energy that allowed me to sprint over to the snow leopard, who began to pick up the Dragon Scroll.

"Finally! The power of the Dragon Scroll is mine!" Tai Lung shouted before looking incredibly upset.

"What? It's nothing!"

 **"Just like I said, you power-hungry bastard."**

Tai Lung dropped the scroll and stumbled back.

"You! I saw you disappear!"

 **"You can't kill what's already dead. But _you..._ you are still mortal. And I have a habit of being lethal."**

Raising my rifle, I shot a laser bolt at Tai Lung's feet, a molten crater smoking in the ground.

 **"I had a chance to kill you earlier, but I hesitated. If you make me regret hesitating again... you best hope I don't catch you."**

"I don't fear you or your sorcery, demon. I only wanted what was mine, and it was taken from me _again!_ "

Po stood up, wobbling as he approached Tai Lung.

"It's okay. I get it. When I was younger, I had always wanted to learn Kung Fu. but when I was named the Dragon Warrior, I couldn't help but feel like a failure at every turn. That is, until people believed in me. Until I believed in myself. You don't need some title, or a scroll to be great. You just need to be... _you_." Po explained.

Tai Lung thought for a moment, but then his expression was full of rage as he charged Po, who dodge his first attack before striking him with a swift punch to the chest. Tai Lung kicked at Po, but the panda grabbed his leg and tossed him over to me, who put the leopard in a chokehold and slammed him down.

Tai Lung tried to strike me in my wound again, but I wasn't dumb enough to let that happen again. I tossed the feline into the air, kicking him in the back to create thrust upward. He flew high up into the air and landed down hard, causing him to wheeze as he struggled to get up.

"You... don't deserve to be... the Dragon Warrior!" Tai Lung shouted, punching at Po.

Before the strike landed, Po had caught Tai Lung by the finger, his pinkie finger raised. Tai Lung's look was of sheer horror as he saw the strange action.

"The Wuxi Finger Hold! Shifu wouldn't teach you that!"

"Nope. I figured it out." Po said, beginning to flex his pinkie.

 **"Wait... What the hell are you doing? What's a 'Wuxi Finger Hold'?"**

Po chuckled as Tai Lung began to whimper.

"When I flex my pinkie... let's just say that it'll get messy."

Oh... This would be pretty bad...

 **"Po... let him go. If we wanted him dead, I would have killed him earlier, or Shifu would have had him executed. Surely there is good left in him."**

"What? Let him go? Why would we do that? He's a danger to everyone!"

Sighing, I went up to Tai Lung, who quivered in Po's grasp.

 **"He's right. You _are_ a danger to everyone. But I know you have the potential to be a hero. I know what it's like to be feared and hated. I also know what it's liked to be cared for and loved. You must know being loved is so much better."**

"I don't need 'love' or your pity. I deserve to be the Dragon Warrior!" he said with rage.

I could see in his eyes that he was afraid, and carried great amounts of sadness.

 **"Why be the Dragon Warrior, when you can make a name for _yourself_ as the legendary Tai Lung? Be remembered as a hero, not a monster."**

I could see him contemplating what I said. He looked at me, and then to Po, who still held his life in his hand.

"I... I shouldn't have to. I should have been chosen, but I was denied my destiny!"

 **"If it was your destiny, it would have happened. But it didn't, and never will. But it shouldn't have to. It's never too late to change. Trust me. I would know."**

He did not buy what I was saying, instead baring his teeth.

"As if you want to help me. Why should I listen to you?"

 **"If I wanted you to die, I could have let Po kill you. Or, I could put an energy bolt in your skull. But I didn't. Come home, Tai Lung. Be who you were meant to be."**

For a while, there was silence as a sad look came over his features.

"Say I... do try and change. Would I... be welcomed back home?"

I smiled at Tai Lung, signalling for Po release him.

 **"I'm sure you would. Shifu loves you, y'know."**

As soon as Po hesitantly let him go, I drew a sword to the feline's throat.

 **"But be sure you don't fuck this up. Because if you do, I _will_ kill you." **I said before sheathing my sword and heading back to the Jade Palace.

Behind me, Po and Tai Lung stood a bit shocked.

 **"Well what are you standing there for? Let's get something to eat."**

Both Po and Tai Lung stood there, unsure as to what they were to do. But as soon as they began to follow me, the Furious Five landed in front of them.

"I considered what you said, Teivel. We're here to help you stop him!" Tigress shouted.

 **"Whoa! Wait a minute! We're done fighting. Everything is cool. Had a really sappy 'change of heart' moment. Should'a been there."**

Once again, pure confusion spread across everyone's expressions.

Everyone but Tai Lung, that is.

"How did you get _him_ to have a change of heart?" Mantis asked.

This time, Tai Lung spoke up.

"Because everything he said was true. I don't need the title of 'Dragon Warrior' to be great. I could be my own person, and be respected by the people of China. I could finally be happy."

As cliché as that sounded, it seemed to satisfy the Five. That is, except for Tigress.

"You really think he would change so easily? It's a trick!"

 **"You think I wouldn't consider such an option? Obviously there is always a chance he is tricking us, but if he does, I'll just end him. I can't die, so how can I possibly lose?"**

Tigress opened her mouth to argue, but did not do such. It would be difficult to completely convince her, but at least she was willing to be civil. I also really hoped that she would believe that I can't die, because that would definitely make her more confident.

Even if coming back from death will likely only become more difficult.

As we made our way to the Jade Palace, I heard a large amount of noise behind us. Turning around, I could see the villagers standing around with various looks of surprise.

"Tai Lung is still here!?" a pig shouted.

In order to keep... well, _order_ , I quickly answered the distraught pig.

 **"Do not worry. Tai Lung is no threat. After a long battle, I was able to convince him that there is more to life than a fruitless search for power."**

"And that is the truth. Valley of Peace, I know I have brought havoc to your peaceful land before, but please allow me to redeem myself."

"You should be in prison!"

Before anything could escalate, I stepped in.

 **"He has already paid for his crimes. If I trust him, you must do the same. He will do no harm, and will only help the citizens of the valley. But if he does not, I will personally deal with any damage done."**

The villagers looked pleased with that statement, many of them also having looks of relief. However, there were very many skeptics as well. That was not important though.

Making our way up the steps to the Jade Palace, I observed Tai lung as we went up. He looked as though he had internal conflicts, but he kept them under wraps.

 **"Hey. You alright?"**

He looked at me with tired eyes and sighed.

"The people will never forgive me. Not that I expect them to. After all, it's not like most would change their minds so easy. But I had already considered being a 'hero' for so long... I just never quelled my rage long enough to see that I was a fool. I was bent on getting the Dragon Scroll, and to see that it was blank... my conflicted mind was finally made up with your help."

He gave a small smile and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, demon."

 **"Not a problem. Only doing what's best. Also: The name's Teivel."**

He nodded and turned his head forward as we approached the broken entrance of the Jade Palace. We walked as a group to the Moon Pool when Po said that was where Master Shifu was. Once inside, we saw him laying on the floor, presumably unconscious. Tai Lung looked at the ground as we approached the Kung Fu teacher, not wanting to look at what he had done.

I knelt next to Shifu, putting my hand on his shoulder. I could see him still breathing, so he was alive. This was confirmed when his eyes opened and locked onto the dead lenses of my mask.

"Teivel... You're alive?"

 **"I can't die, Shifu. Unfortunately, _you_ can. Don't scare us like that again, you hear?"**

He laughed, sitting up and looking at Po.

"And what of Tai Lung?"

"I am right here, Master."

Shifu froze when he heard his voice, unsure as to what he was to do. Fortunately, Tai Lung spoke to clear things up.

"I was convinced by... 'Teivel' to change my ways. I am tired of being a villain. Tired of being a monster. I've always wanted to make you proud, and to do that, I will be the hero I was meant to be. A hero like the Dragon Warrior, who you have taught well." he said, patting Po on the back.

Shifu took a moment to piece this all together before speaking.

"I knew you were conflicted. I knew you had good in you still. But... I was never able to make you see that. And I'm sorry that I never showed you that there was more than power in life. If anything, _I_ am more of a monster than you ever were."

Tai Lung shook his head, kneeling next to me.

"That isn't true, Master. You taught me well. Treated me like a son. I am the one who abused my power. I ask not for forgiveness. I only ask that you allow me to try and redeem myself."

Shifu smiled wide, tears forming in his eyes. It was a beautiful moment for the two, so I decided to let them have their moment. I signaled for the others to follow me out. Once outside, the others went their separate ways. That is, once again, everyone but Tigress.

"You allowed him to live, and allowed him into the Jade Palace once again, rather than killing him. Why?"

I was a bit confused by the question.

 **"What? Was I supposed to kill him?"**

Tigress shook her head, walking down to the barracks.

"No, not at all. But with how dangerous he was, you actually listened to what I had to say yesterday?"

This time, I laughed at what she said.

 **"Of course I did! Shifu obviously didn't want him dead, or else I would have gone and killed him before he escaped from the prison. He also had good in him still. There was hope for him. I also value what you say, Tigress. If you don't want me to kill, I will respect that. It would be wrong of me not to."**

Tigress had an expression I couldn't quite figure out. As we stepped into the barracks, I thought about how eventful my time here had been. Stepping into Tigress's room, I hooked up my weapons and mask to the energy collector before sitting on her bed. Tigress laid down on her bed, looking up at me.

"Usually I would not waste my time doing nothing... but I suppose that it would be fine just once." she said.

I smiled at her somewhat out of character decision, agreeing that it sounded like a great idea.

 **"That's pretty unusual to hear from you. But you're right. Besides, I've had plenty of action today."**

Tigress laughed, nodding in agreement.

"We all have." she said with a smile.

I just chuckled, looking at the feline staring up at me. It was nice to see her smile.

 **"You know, you have a wonderful smile. I think you're quite pretty when you're happy."**

Tigress's smile wavered as she tried to figure out how to respond. She looked embarrassed by the compliment, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Do you... really think so?"

I nodded. Why would I lie? It's not like I had to hide anything.

"I've never been told that before. Thank you."

I just continued to smile at her, laying down next to her and blowing my signature cloud of black smoke out of my mouth. As expected, Tigress was a bit put off by the action, but I just continued to blow smoke rings for fun.

Though it was barely around noon, Tigress looked tired. She was barely able to hold her eyes open.

 **"You look pretty tired, Stripes. If I were you, I'd get some sleep."**

"What about you?" she asked.

I shrugged staring at the featureless ceiling.

 **"I don't need sleep. I can keep going forever without it."**

Tigress chuckled, shutting her eyes.

"Well aren't you perfect?" she joked with a smile as she began to rest.

When she was asleep, I got up from the bed, putting on my mask and walking to the door, opening it.

 **"I wish that were so, Tigress..."** I whispered.

I decided to take a walk to clear my head a bit. I made my way out of the barracks, spotting Po heading toward the barracks. He looked up and saw me passing by, smiling and waving at me.

"Hey, man. That was pretty awesome, convincing Tai Lung to be a good guy."

 **"It wasn't hard. I was once like him, I believe. Hell, it was somewhat how I was when I got here. I was a violent person with very little patience. Now... I like to believe I'm better than that."**

Po nodded, continuing on his way.

"Y'know, I think you're just as cool as the Five."

Well that was nice to hear.

 **"Thanks. It means a lot from the Dragon Warrior."**

With that, I continued on my way. I decided to just walk around the buildings around the Jade Palace, taking in the beauty of everything around me. My world had very little natural beauty remaining. At least that's how I remember it, as little as I remember. Passing by the Training Hall, I saw some of the other members of the Five training together. I would have suspected they were just as tired as Tigress, but they didn't seem to be. Instead of lingering on it, I just continued my walk.

As planned, I could feel my thoughts clearing up. It was nice to have less stress on the mind. I walked past the bath house, chuckling to myself as I remembered how awkward Tigress was. She was quite odd to me, but I liked her as a person. She had a good heart that she kept hidden under a tough exterior.

I always meant what I told her. She really was my best friend here, I really cared about what she had to say, and her smile was wonderful. Yet, every time I would say something of the sort, she would act embarrassed. I didn't understand it. Do friends not talk to each other that way?

Oh well.

Spotting the Hall of Warriors, I went inside to see if Tai Lung and Shifu were still inside. Opening the doors, I spotted the two sitting on the steps around the Moon Pool, drinking tea together and talking. When Shifu spotted me approaching, he put his tea down and smiled up at me.

"Ah, Teivel. I'm glad to see you. Thank you for everything, friend."

 **"Don't thank _me_ , Shifu. I'm no hero."**

Tai Lung set his own cup down and spoke in a much more light-hearted tone than he had been speaking in.

"Of course you are. You got the Dragon Warrior to spare my life, even after I had attacked you. If you don't have the heart of a hero, then there are none who do."

 **"Well thank you. But I only did it because I believed in you. Otherwise... You know."**

He chuckled, picking his cup back up.

"Either way, I am quite glad that was the choice you made."

I chuckled as well, glad he had a sense of humor about it.

 **"Anyway, I was just checking up on the two of you. Since everything seems to be just fine, I'll go ahead and continue my walk."**

The two nodded as I left them to continue catching up. I could see a large amount of damage in the hall that would likely take a bit of time to repair. I exited the Hall of Warriors and walked to a specific tree that reminded me of a concerning prospect.

The other Wraith. He had said that the people from my world might be coming. If that were to happen... I wouldn't know what to do. The animal-people of this world would not be prepared for the dangers coming.

I Rifted to the top of the tree, sitting on the branch he was spotted on. On the branch, I saw a note stuck to the branch with a knife. Pulling the knife out of the branch, I read the note that was written in English, presumably by the other Wraith.

 _Reaper_

 _I want to talk to you soon. Soon, you will see me back here, same time as last._

 _Please be here. They are making plans, and it doesn't look good._

 _I've tried to delay them, but it won't work long._

 _Be ready._

 _With Respect,_

 _Deimos._

The note sent chills down my spine. I knew that the Gen Fours had plans to come here, but I had no idea it would be so soon. If they were coming to this world with hostile intentions, I would likely be the only one equipped to stop them. Perhaps Daniel, or "Deimos" as his codename said, would help me, but I had doubts he would risk it.

I looked from the tall tree down at the Valley of Peace, wondering how I could possibly protect it from such a force.

After all, I had made a promise. A promise to protect the innocent.

I just hoped I could keep that promise.

* * *

 _Howdy. Yes, I know it has been FOREVER since I've updated anything, but life has been keeping me away from writing. When I finally got to writing though, I was having trouble making this chapter work. I felt that some scenes were unnecessary or dragged out too long, but I just kept it in even if I hate it. And for the Tai Lung scene near the end where he has a change of heart, while kind of hokey anyway, was difficult to tell whether it was too fast or too long, so I just went with somewhere in the middle._

 _Enough ranting, though. What did you all think? Was it terrible? Too long? I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have any questions or concerns, as always just shoot me a message. Until next time!_

 _Lord Jerry_


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